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HUGH  MEREDITH 


The  story  of  a  boy  who  conquered  circumstance  & 
by  knowing  the  Truth  about  them. 


By 

Eleanor  Vincent 


Published  by 

The  Master   Mino  Publishing  Company 

618  So\ith  Spring  Street, 

Lo«  Angeles,  Calif. 


Copyright,  1921 
By  ELEANOR   VINCENT 


i.' 


Truly  ^  not  circumstances^  but  what  we  make  of 
circumstances,  harms  us.  The  way  we  take  things 
decides  what  they  are  to  us  or  do  to  us.  He  who 
determines  that,  whatever  else  he  may  lose,  he 
need  not  lose  his  peace  oj  mind^  stands  victor  over 
any  situation. 

Anonymous. 


Hugh  Meredith 

HEN  the  sun,  on  its  daily  round, 
peeped  into  a  back  room  of  Mrs. 
Casey's  boarding  house,  in  a  great 
western  city,  it  brightened  im- 
measurably a  shabbily  furnished  room  and 
seemed  to  touch  with  sympathetic  w^armth 
the  small  figure  of  a  boy  crouching  de- 
jectedly beside  a  bed  on  which  lay  the 
still  form  of  his  dearest  and  best  friend, 
whose  gentle  spirit  had  slipped  away  so 
quietly  that  he  did  not  know  the  moment 
of  its  passing.  All  through  the  long  night 
he  had  sat  beside  the  bed,  in  the  eerie 
light  of  a  single  gas  jet,  now  and  then  fall- 
ing asleep  and  waking  with  a  guilty  start, 
but  always  with  a  hand  resting  on  the  bed 
so  that  the  slightest  movement  of  the  tired 
little  mother  would  waken  him.  Her  only 
complaint  for  days  had  been  that  she  was 
"so  weary."  Between  long  periods,  in 
which  she  seemed  to  be  resting,  she  would 


6  HUGH  MEREDITH 

rouse  herself  and  talk  to  him  for  several 
minutes  at  a  time.  There  had  been  gentle 
admonitions,  instructions  regarding  their 
small  possessions,  contained  in  a  single 
trunk  (personal  belongings,  relics  of  better 
days),  their  small  savings  in  a  purse  which 
had  been  his  father's  and  a  row  of  choice 
books  on  a  shelf. 

All  such  references  to  her  approaching 
departure  wrung  the  boy's  heart,  and  once 
he  was  moved  to  say:  ''But  mother,  if  God 
is  good,  how  can  He  take  you  away  from 
me  and  leave  me  all  alone  with  no  one  to 
care  for  me?"  And  she  had  replied: 
"There  dear,  you  must  not  speak  so  bit- 
terly as  if  God  were  a  man  to  give  and 
take  away  as  an  earthly  parent  might  do. 
You  know  I  have  told  you  that  God  is  the 
Spirit  of  Good  in  the  universe,  the  creator 
of  love.  We  speak  of  Him  as  masculine, 
for  lack  of  better  terms,  but  he  is  as  much 
mother  as  father  and  certainly  no  loving 
parent  would  do  anything  cruel  or  harmful 
to  their  own  little  boy.  Some  day,  when 
you  are  older,  you  will  understand  what  I 
cannot  now  explain  to  you  more  fully,  but 
remember  this,  God  is  always  good,  whether 
we  appreciate  it  or  not,  and  such  misfor- 


HUGH  MEREDITH  7 

tmies  as  come  to  us  are  the  result  of  wrong 
thinking,  either  on  our  part  or  that  of  some- 
one else,  or  it  may  be  that  a  circumstance 
that  appears  to  be  a  misfortune  turns  out 
to  be  a  blessing.  Someone  has  wisely  said 
that  'nothing  goes  out  of  our  lives  but  to 
make  room  for  something  better, '  and  I  feel 
that  after  I  am  gone  you  will  have  a  greater 
opportunity  for  development  than  I  could 
possibly  have  given  you.  Some  good  friend 
or  relative  will  give  you  your  chance." 

Then  she  had  broken  the  silence  of  years 
regarding  his  father's  family,  particularly 
his  grandfather,  the  scion  of  a  proud  New 
England  family,  haughty  and  austere,  who 
had  objected  to  his  son's  choice  of  a  wife 
and  had  cut  him  off  from  all  communica- 
tion; not  that  the  son  would  ask  a  favor. 
He  too  was  proud,  but  possessed  of  gentler 
traits.  She  believed  that  now  this  proud 
old  man  would  relent  and  be  moved  to  take 
an  interest  in  her  homeless  boy  and,  at  least, 
provide  money  for  his  support  and  educa- 
tion even  if  he  would  not  take  him  into  his 
heart  and  home,  as  she  fondly  hoped.  Care- 
fully he  had  placed  the  pillows  to  support 
hci"  while  she  addressed  a  letter  to  his  grand- 
father, briefly  stating  the  case  and  asking 


8  HUGH  MEREDITH 

liis  aid  in  her  boy's  behalf. 

This  done,  she  had  called  his  attention 
to  the  small  but  choice  collection  of  books, 
^vllich  had  been  his  father's  cherished  pos- 
session through  all  the  years  of  changing 
circumstance  and  which  she  now  urged  her 
boy  to  read  diligently  as  he  progressed  in 
his  school  work.  He  recalled  how  she  had 
said:  "Hugh,  my  darling,  there  are  two 
quotations  I  would  leave  with  you  for  your 
future  guidance.  One  is  from  the  Bible  and 
the  other  from  Shakespeare's  'Hamlet.' 
The  one  from  the  Bible  is:  'Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.' 
So  you  need  never  feel  lonely  for  there  is 
always  that  Invisible  Presence  with  you  to 
take  care  of  you  and  be  company  for  you. 
You  can  see  Him  in  the  trees  and  flowers, 
birds  and  animals,  as  well  as  in  other  chil- 
dren and  grown-up  people,  for  the  same 
life  is  in  all.     The  one  from  Hamlet  is: 

'  This  above  all :  to  thine  own  self  be  true. 

And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day, 

Thou   canst   not   then   be   false  to   any 
man.'  " 

Both  of  these  quotations  were  familiar 
to  Hugh  by  means  of  frequent  repetition, 


HUGH  MEREDITH  9 

and,  with  his  mother's  admonition,  he  knew 
he  should  never  forget  either  of  them. 

After  a  brief  pause,  she  had  said:  "Do 
not  grieve  for  me,  Hugh  dear.  You  will 
grow  to  be  a  fine  man  and  make  every  life, 
with  which  you  come  in  contact,  richer  and 
happier  for  having  known  you  and  having 
observed  the  manner  in  which  you  put  into 
practice  the  precepts  which  mother  has 
tried  to  teach  you." 

Then  he  had  kissed  her,  and,  while  a 
mist  of  tears  blurred  his  sight,  she  had 
slipped  away. 

A  tear  splashed  on  the  envelope  contain- 
ing his  mother's  letter  and  aroused  him  to 
action.  He  quickly  brushed  away  the  tear 
and  placed  the  letter  in  his  pocket,  resolv- 
ing not  to  use  it  until  everything  else  failed. 
He  was  a  resourceful  boy.  The  circum- 
stances of  his  life  had  brought  out  many 
ingenious  traits,  and,  with  a  boy's  natural 
belief  in  himself,  he  felt  that  he  could  earn 
his  own  living  without  appealing  to  his  rich 
relatives  for  charity,  which  might,  even 
then,  be  withheld.  He  was  almost  twelve 
years  old  and  strong  for  his  age.  The  pre- 
vious summer  vacation  he  had  earned  quite 


10  HUGH  MEREDITH 

a  sum  mowing  lawns  and  doing  all  sorts  of 
chores. 

Mrs.  Casey  interrupted  his  cogitations 
by  softly  opening  the  door,  but  paused  on 
the  threshold,  her  sympathetic  eye  taking 
in  the  situation  at  a  glance.  With  rare 
tact,  she  made  no  attempt  to  coddle  the  boy 
or  weaken  his  self-respect  by  calling  atten- 
tion to  his  helplessness,  for  she  had  per- 
ceived the  resolute  look  in  his  eyes  and 
secretly  hoped  it  would  remain  there.  She 
merely  said  softly:  ^'The  dear,  tired  little 
body  is  at  rest  now.  No  more  hard  wor-r-k ; 
no  more  worry  about  makin'  ends  meet. 
See  how  peaceful  she  looks,  laddie.  Isn't 
it  foine  that  she  could  go  to  schlape  knowin' 
that  her  br-r-ave  little  lad  w^ould  follow  her 
teachin's  and  be  a  son  she  could  be  pr-r-oud 
av  even  in  hiven,  the  saints  be  pr-r-aised." 

With  Mrs.  Casey's  kind  assistance,  a 
simple  and  (to  the  boy's  mind)  beautiful 
service  was  held  for  his  mother  in  the  chapel 
of  a  nearby  undertaker's  establishment. 
Mrs.  Casey  had  even  managed  a  beautiful 
bouquet  of  white  roses  for  Hugh  and  a  bou- 
quet of  carnations  for  herself.  Others  of 
their  poor  neighbors  had  contributed  flowers 
to  the  memory  of  this  cultured  little  woman 


HUGH  MEREDITH  1 1 

who  had  been  a  friend  in  need  to  many  of 
them,  and  Hugh 's  heart  was  grateful.  How- 
ever, there  remained  but  three  dollars  of 
his  mother's  savings,  after  Mrs.  Casey  had 
been  paid  in  fxill. 

''I  shall  probably  be  leaving  in  a  day 
or  two,  Mrs.  Casey,"  Hugh  told  her  on  the 
way  back  to  the  boarding  house. 

"Nothin'  of  the  kind,  m'  boy,"  replied 
Mrs.  Casey.  *'Oi've  got  a  nice  place  fixed 
for  ye  up  in  the  attic  and  yer  jest  as  wil- 
come  to  schtay  there  as  if  ye  was  me  own 
son.  Oi'm  goin'  to  see  the  tradesmen  to- 
morrow and  see  if  Oi  can't  get  ye  a  place 
to  wor-r-k  so  ye  can  save  somethin'  to  go 
to  school  on  nixt  winther." 

"Oh,  thank  you,  Mrs.  Casey.  You  are 
so  kind,"  Hugh  replied.  ''But  I  don't  want 
to  trouble  you  that  way.    I — " 

''Trouble,  pshaw!  'Tis  no  trouble  fer 
me,  lad.  You  jest  schtay  right  along  with 
Mrs.  Casey  and  iv'rything'll  be  all  r-r-ight." 

The  day  after  liis  rnofhcr's  funei'al, 
Hugh  started  out  to  find  woi'k.  The  pre- 
vious nifi^ht  had  be(;n  vci-y  hot  in  his  little 
room  uru]<'r  llic  roof  .'irid  he  had  been  un- 


12  HUGH  MEREDITH 

al)le  to  sleep.  To  divert  his  mind  from 
loneliness,  he  had  plamied  what  he  would  do 
on  the  morrow.  He  thought  it  would  not 
be  difficult  for  a  strong  boy  to  find  some- 
thing to  do.  It  was  only  a  question  of  what 
he  wanted  to  do  most,  but  the  experiences 
of  the  morrow  proved  his  confident  hopes 
unfounded,  for,  while  he  had  seen  most  of 
the  tradesmen  in  the  neighborhood,  none 
of  them  seemed  to  need  a  boy,  or  they  had 
just  hired  one.  Somewhat  discouraged,  at 
■5  o'clock  he  gave  up  the  quest  for  the  day 
and  started  homeward,  resolved  to  go  with- 
out his  dinner  to  conserve  the  small  amount 
of  money  he  had  left,  but,  on  the  way,  he 
passed  a  tamale  wagon,  from  which  the 
mingled  aroma  of  sizzling  hamburger, 
frankfurters  and  coffee  floated  out  to  tempt 
him.  He  could  see,  on  the  canvas  flap,  the 
shadows  of  four  or  five  patrons  ranged 
along  the  counter  on  stools,  anxiously  await- 
ing the  time  to  eat.  Here  was  the  first  real 
lesson  in  self-control  the  boy  had  ever  had. 
Somehow  his  mother  had  ahvays  managed 
to  get  what  he  really  wanted  badly,  and  he 
realized,  with  a  twinge  of  pain,  that  now 
lie  must  shift  for  himself. 

Me  passed  the  wagon,  fixing  his  atten- 


HUGH  MEREDITH  13 

tion  on  the  traffic,  which,  at  this  hour,  was 
more  congested  than  in  any  other  hour  of 
the  day.  At  the  corner  a  street-car  stopped 
and  an  elderly  lady  alighted  with  a  suitcase. 
Somewhat  confused,  and  fearing  the  on- 
coming automobiles,  she  stood  looking  this 
way  and  that,  evidently  trying  to  recognize 
some  landmark  or  see  an  opening  to  reach 
the  sidewalk.  Hugh  sprang  to  her  aid, 
dodging  between  two  big  machines,  and! 
offered  to  carry  the  suitcase  and  pilot  her 
to  the  sidewalk.  Having  done  so,  she  askedi 
him  if  he  would  take  her  to  the  address  on 
a  card  which  she  offered  him,  and  he  will- 
ingly complied,  happy  to  think  he  could  do 
someone  a  service  for  his  dear  mother's 
sake.  The  address  was  not  far  distant  and 
he  knew  the  neighborhood  well,  so  they 
were  soon  at  their  destination,  where  he 
rang  the  bell  and  waited  to  see  if  it  was  the 
right  place,  which  it  proved  to  be.  As  he 
was  turning  to  go,  the  lady  slipped  a  bright 
new  quarter  into  his  hand.  He  was  loath 
to  keep  it,  explaining  that  he  had  not  ex- 
pected  pay  for  so  small  a  service,  but  she 
insisted  that  he  keep  the  money,  and,  tlia?ik- 
ing  her,  he  hurried  away  to  the  tamale 
wagon,  feeling  tlmt  flic  rnoiiex'  1i;h1  hern  pro- 


14  HUGH  MEREDITH 

vidod  for  him  for  this  very  purpose  by  the 
Invisibk^  Presence,  so  unexpected  had  it 
been  and  just  at  the  time  when  he  needed 
it  so  badly;  and  hadn't  his  mother  said: 
"Some  way  is  always  provided  in  every 
extremity,"  and  wasn't  it  an  extremity  to 
be  as  hungry  as  he  was*? 


The  next  morning  found  Hugh  up  bright 
and  early  and  full  of  hope.  Youth  is  ever 
bouyant  and  the  troubles  of  a,  night  vanish 
with  the  sunrise.  He  decided  to  try  for 
lawns  to  mow.  It  was  evident  that  he  must 
be  earning  something  right  away,  whether 
he  found  a  regular  job  or  not. 

It  was  a  long  way  from  Mrs.  Casey's 
boarding  house  to  the  residence  portion  of 
the  city  and  he  wisely  decided  to  spend  a 
nickel  for  carfare  and  save  his  strength  for 
the  work  he  expected  to  find.  His  ignorance 
of  the  ways  of  the  world  and  the  value  of 
his  services  was  strongly  impressed  upon 
him  during  the  long  ride  across  the  city,  but 
his  resolution  was  still  strong  when  he 
alighted  at  the  corner  of  a  park,  having  de- 
cided, at  sight  of  it,  that  this  would  be  a 
good  place  to  start.    How  he  loved  the  trees 


HUan  MEREDITH  15 

and  grass,  which  for  weeks  and  months  at 
a  time  he  would  never  see.  All  morning  he 
trudged  about  the  neighborhood,  but  no- 
body seemed  to  need  a  boy.  The  sun  was 
hot  and  he  was  hungry  again  at  noon.  Still 
confident  that  he  would  find  something  in 
the  afternoon,  he  stepped  into  a  drug  store 
and  bought  a  sandwich  at  the  soda  foun- 
tain, which  he  carried  away  to  the  park  to 
eat,  while  he  rested  and  enjoyed  the  cool 
shade  and  the  beauty  and  companionship  of 
the  trees  and  flowers,  and  heard  the  birds 
twittering  in  the  trees.  Were  they  not  all 
related  to  him  and  to  that  Invisible  Pres- 
ence which  was  always  with  him?  He  sat 
down  on  a  bench  and  munched  his  sandwich 
contentedly. 

On  the  other  end  of  the  bench  sat  a  man 
reading  a  bit  of  newspaper.  So  engrossed 
was  he  that  he  hadn't  even  seen  the  boy. 
Presently  he  threw  down  the  paper  with  a 
groan,  and,  for  the  first  time,  noticed  the 
boy.  "You're  in  luck  to  have  a  sandwich, 
my  boy,"  he  remarked. 

Hugh  glanced  at  the  newspaper.  It  was 
the  ''Help  Wanted"  column  the  man  had 
been  readinir.    "^\niat's  the  mattei',  mister? 


16  HUGH  MEREDITH 

Can't  yuu  get  any  work  either"?"  he  in- 
quired. 

''No,  no  work  of  any  kind.  But  you 
«aid  'either.'  Are  you  looking  for  work, 
too?" 

''Yes,  been  looking  all  morning." 
"Wluit  you  want  to  do?" 
"Mow  lawns  or  do  chores — anything." 
"You  won't  find  it  in  this  neighborhood, 
I  warn  you.    I  have  been  all  around." 

"Do  you  want  to  mow  lawns,  too  ?"  asked 
Hugh,  surprised. 

"I've  been  offering  to  do  anything,  for 
I've  got  to  have  some  money  right  away. 
I  am  an  office  man,  sort  of  a  scrub  book- 
keeper, but  there  isn't  any  place  for  me  in 
that  line.  I  have  been  trying  for  weeks  but 
nobody  wants  a  stranger.  We  came  here 
for  my  wife's  health  and  she  is  getting 
Ix'tter  all  the  time,  but  the  money  has  given 
out." 

His  voice  broke  a  little  and  he  fell  silent. 

"Do  you  like  to  keep  books  and  do  office 
work?"  the  boy  asked. 

"No,"  the  man  replied.  "But  I  have 
boon  doing  it  for  a  good  many  years." 

"^Mother  said  that  when  people  do  work 


HUGH  MEREDITH  17 

they  don't  want  to  do  that  they  are  'square 
pegs  in  round  holes,'  "  said  Hugh,  after  a 
pause. 

"You  said  it,  boy!"  exclaimed  the  man. 
*'I  am  a  square  peg  all  right." 

''Why  don't  you  try  doing  something 
you  like  to  do." 

The  man  turned  to  look  at  the  boy 
squarely.  This  was  an  unusual  boy.  His 
observation  seemed  to  satisfy  him,  for,  after 
a  moment's  hesitation,  he  replied:  "Maybe 
you  will  laugh  when  you  hear  what  I  would 
iike  to  do,  but  here  goes.  I  would  like  to 
cook." 

It  was  Hugh's  turn  to  stare,  and,  for  a 
moment,  he  was  too  astonished  to  speak, 
but  he  did  not  laugh.  Recovering  himself 
with  an  eifort,  he  asked:  "Why  don't  you, 
then?" 

"Gracious,  boy,  my  family  would  feel 
disgraced.     I  wouldn't  dare." 

"I  don't  see  why—"  Hugh  began,  but 
remembering  the  family  pride  whicli  had 
bliglited  his  father's  and  mother's  lives, 
quickly  inquired:  "Ho  you  know  how  to 
cook,  and  have  you  liad  any  experience'? 
Evervbod\'  seems  to  want  experience  where 


18  HUail  MEREDITH 

I've  been,"  lie  added  apologetically,  think- 
ing perhaps  he  had  been  too  bold. 

' '  Yes,  I  've  had  exx)ei'ience, ' '  the  man  re- 
plied with  a  faint  smile.  I  could  always 
cook  ever  since  I  was  a  yomigster.  My 
mother  used  to  be  sick  most  of  the  time  and 
I  did  the  cooking  for  dad  and  the  boys,  but 
I  got  my  big  experience  in  a  most  unex- 
pected way." 

Hugh  edged  a  little  closer,  expecting  a 
story. 

*'I  got  a  job  as  timekeeper  and  office 
man  in  a  big  camp  of  about  seventy-five 
men.  One  day  the  cook  got  sick.  It  was 
a  long  drive  to  the  nearest  railroad  station 
and  a  long  journey  by  train  to  the  nearest 
city  where  a  cook  was  likely  to  be  found. 
The  boss  figured  that  by  the  time  he  made 
the  trip,  the  cook  we  had  would  be  well,  and 
so  he  asked  the  fellows  all  around  if  any 
of  them  could  cook  for  the  outfit.  No  one 
could,  so  he  came  into  the  shack,  which  we 
called  the  office,  and  said  to  me:  'Well  I 
guess  I'll  have  to  go  to  the  city  for  a  cook. 
None  of  the  boys  out  there  can  cook  and 
I've  got  to  get  somebody  right  away,  but  I 
sure  do  hate  to  take  the  time  to  go  now.* 


HUGH  MEREDITH  19 

'  Well  try  me, '  says  I.  '  You  ? '  says  he.  '  Can 
you  cook?'  'Sure,'  says  I.  'Bully  boy!' 
says  he,  clapping  me  on  the  shoulder  so 
hard  I  almost  fell  down.  'You're  just  the 
boy  I'm  lookin'  for.'  So  I  cooked  all  the 
rest  of  the  time  we  stayed  there,  and  the 
boss  kept  the  time,  for  the  other  cook  had 
to  go  to  the  hospital,  and  the  boss  said  it 
was  the  best  cooking  his  gang  had  ever  had 
and  offered  to  keep  me  for  more  money,  but 
when  they  broke  camp  there,  I  went  to  the 
city  and  got  married,  and  my  wife  never 
liked  the  idea  of  me  being  a  cook." 

Hugh  picked  up  the  crumpled  news- 
paper and  studied  it  intently  for  a  few 
minutes,  then:    "How's  this,  mister? 

'Wanted — Cook  for  suburban  res- 
taurant. Must  be  able  to  take  full 
charge  for  non-resident  owner,  do 
buying,  etc'  " 

There  was  more  to  the  advertisement, 
but  the  man  reached  for  the  paper  and  read 
it  eagerly. 

"I'm  going  right  over  there  now.  I  be- 
lieve that's  the  job  for  me." 

Hugh  thought  it  was  wonderful  how  his 
enthusiasm  lighted  his  face. 


20  HUGH  MEREDITH 

''Boy,  I'm  glad  I  met  you.  If  I  get  the 
job,  it  will  be  to  your  credit.  I  hadn't 
thought  to  look  for  that  kind  of  a  job. 
^Vluat's  your  name  and  address"?  I'll  send 
you  a  postcard  if  I  get  it." 

He  took  down  Hugh's  address  in  his 
notebook  and  hurried  away. 


Hugh  felt  much  better  for  his  stay  in 
the  park.  Whether  it  was  due  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  park  itself,  his  encounter  with 
the  stranger,  the  sandwich  or  the  rest,  he 
did  not  know,  but  he  was  ready  to  try  again. 
He  picked  up  the  newspaper,  out  of  which 
the  man  had  torn  the  advertisement  he 
wanted,  and  read  the  balance  of  the  column. 
He  had  always  liked  to  read  the  classified 
advertisements.  People  wanted  so  many 
things.  The  very  last  one  interested  him 
most.  A  handy  man  was  wanted  to  look 
after  lawn  and  flowers,  small  garden  and 
chickens  and  make  himself  generally  useful. 
The  address  was  close  by  the  park  and  that 
is  what  caught  his  attention  first.  He  de- 
cided to  apply  for  the  place,  even  though  it 
called  for  a  man.  A  short  walk  brought 
him  to  the  place,  a  beautiful  residence  with 


HUGH  MEREDITH  21 

spacious  grounds,  which  he  realized  would 
be  a  fair-sized  job  to  take  care  of,  even  for 
a  man.  On  the  wide  veranda  was  a  nurse 
maid,  in  neat  black  dress  and  frill}^  white 
cap,  caring  for  a  baby  in  a  perambulator, 
while  a  small  boy,  of  about  five  years  of  age, 
played  around.  For  a  moment  Hugh's 
resolution  wavered,  but  remembering  the 
Invisible  Presence  his  mother  said  would 
be  with  him  always,  he  declared  aloud:  "I 
am  going  to  get  this  job."  Somehow  the 
declaration  put  courage  into  him.  He  raised 
his  head  and  walked  with  considerable  as- 
surance up  the  long  white  cement  walk  to 
the  steps,  where  he  paused.  The  nurse  maid 
had  been  regarding  him  curiously  and  even 
the  small  boy  stopped  his  play  to  stare  at 
him. 

'* Pardon  me,  miss,"  said  Hugh,  ''may 
I  see  the  ladv  of  the  house?" 

"AAHiat  for?"  she  demanded. 

"I  came  in  answer  to  her  advertisement 
for  someone  to  look  after  the  lavMi  and 
chickens,"  he  replied. 

**She  wouldn't  have  you,"  i-emarked  the 
girl  curtly.  'SShe  wants  a  man,  so  you 
might  as  well  'forget  it.'  " 

"But  I  can  mow  a  lawn  as  good  as  a 


22  HUGH  MEREDITH 

inaii.    It  might  take  me  a  little  longer,  but 
I  could  do  it,  and  do  it  nicely,  too." 

The  nurse  turned  disdainfully  to  give 
attention  to  the  baby,  indicating  that  the 
interview  was  closed,  but,  in  the  meantime, 
the  little  boy  had  slipped  away  and  now 
returned,  holding  the  hand  of  a  beautiful 
woman,  evidently  his  mother  and  mistress 
of  the  house,  who  regarded  Hugh  as  if 
too  exasperated  for  speech.  Finally  she 
snapped:  "What  did  you  come  here  for? 
Didn't  you  read  the  advertisement?" 

"Yes  ma'am,"  Hugh  replied,  "and  that 
is  whv  I  came." 

The  nurse  tittered  and  coughed  to  cover 
her  blunder. 

"But  I  advertised  for  a  man — not  a 
little  boy." 

"I  am  a  strong  boy,  ma'am,  and  would 
work  for  my  board  and  a  place  to  sleep." 
Where  do  you  live?"  the  lady  inquired. 
T  am  staying  at  Mrs.  Casey's  boarding 
house  on  the  East  side." 

"Do  your  parents  know  you  are  away 
over  here  asking  for  work?" 

"I  don't  know,  lady,  whether  they  do  or 
not.    Both  of  them  are  dead." 

He  turned  away  to  hide  the  quick  tears 


a- 
if 


HUGH  MEREDITH  23 

and  failed  to  see  the  annoyance  in  the  lady 's 
face.  This  kind  of  an  interview  always 
made  her  nervous  and  she  wished  very  much 
to  be  rid  of  this  persistent  boy,  so  her  tone 
was  harsh  as  she  said:  '^You  are  not  old 
enough  to  take  care  of  a  lawn  this  size,  be- 
sides I  want  other  work  done. ' ' 

"I  could  do  other  things,  too,"  Hugh 
urged. 

''What  could  you  do,  I  should  like  to 
know?" 

"I  could  do  errands,  feed  the  chickens, 
hoe  the  garden  and  perhaps  take  care  of  the 
baby  sometimes,"  he  replied,  looking  wist- 
fully at  the  little  cherub  whose  chubby  fists 
were  rapidly  beating  the  air,  one  of  them 
clasping  tightly  a  disfigured  rubber  doll. 

This  was  too  much  for  the  lady's  patience 
and  she  said  angrily:  "Indeed  I  wouldn't 
trust  my  baby  with  a  mere  boy  like  you," 
and  turning,  started  to  enter  the  house. 
But,  during  this  conversation,  the  small  boy 
had  caught  sight  of  the  rubber  doll  in  the 
baby's  hand,  and  seized  the  opportunity  to 
get  possession  of  it.  There  was  a  hole  in 
the  doll's  head,  which  once  contained  a 
whistle,  and  he  knew,  by  experience,  that 
it  made  an  excellent  water  gun.     The  baby 


24  TTUGII  MEREDITH 

began  to  whimper,  and  the  nurse,  seeing  the 
cause,  snatched  at  the  doll  as  the  boy  tried 
to  run  past  her.  He  jumped  back  to  avoid 
hei-  clutch,  fell  against  the  perambulator 
and  sent  it  hurtling  toward  the  front  steps. 
With  a  cry,  the  nurse  sprang  to  catch  the 
runaway  carriage  but  fell  over  the  prostrate 
boy  who  was  crying  lustily.  The  lady,  at- 
tracted by  the  commotion,  turned  just  in 
time  to  see  the  front  wheels  of  the  carriage 
tipping  over  the  edge  of  the  top  step,  and 
promptly  fainted,  without  seeing  that  Hugh 
was  there  to  stop  it.  The  force  of  the  im- 
pact threw  the  precious  infant  on  its  nose, 
but  no  other  damage  was  done.  The  small 
boy,  realizing  his  danger,  slipped  away,  and 
the  maid  went  to  her  mistress'  assistance. 
Hugh  saw  it  was  "up  to  him"  to  look  after 
the  baby  after  all,  so  he  pushed  the  carriage 
back  to  safety  and  carefully  set  the  baby 
up  against  its  pillows,  shaking  a  bright 
rattle,  he  found  in  the  carriage,  before  it, 
which  soon  attracted  its  attention. 

When  the  lady  revived  sufficiently  to 
ascertain  the  extent  of  her  infant's  injuries, 
she  saw  it  sitting  safely  in  its  carriage, 
gurgling  cheerfully,  while  the  strange  boy 
was  using  his  best  efforts  to  entertain  it 


HUGH  MEREDITH  25 

and  seeming  to  enjoy  doing  so.  It  took  her 
several  minutes  to  accomplish  the  reaction, 
but  finally  she  said,  not  unkindly:  ''I'm 
sorry  for  what  I  said  awhile  ago,  my  boy. 
You  have  saved  my  baby's  life,  for,  if  she 
had  fallen  on  that  cement  w^alk,  it  would 
certainly  have  killed  her.  I  know  now  that 
I  could  trust  her  with  you  better  than  I 
could  w^ith  Janet.  You  should  have  had 
the  carriage  wheels  locked,  Janet,"  she 
added,  turning  to  the  maid. 

This  roused  the  maid's  ire,  and,  forget- 
ting the  boy's  service,  she  exclaimed  angrily : 
''It's  all  the  fault  of  that  boy.  If  he  hadn't 
bothered  round,  none  of  this  would  have 
happened." 

The  injustice  of  this  accusation  was 
almost  too  much  for  Hugh  to  bear.  He 
looked  anxiously  at  the  lady,  who  appeared 
to  give  it  some  weight,  but  the  small  boy, 
having  ventured  back  to  ascertain  the  out- 
come, piped  up:  "Well  he  saved  little  sister 
from  hviu^  killed  and  I  think  he's  a  good 
boy.  I  wish  you  would  let  him  stay,  mother. 
He  could  play  with  me  sometimes,  too." 

This  argument  also  had  weight,  for  the 
mother  tui'ned  to  Hugh  and  said  more;  gra- 
ciously:     "My  boy  pleads  your  cause.     1 


26  HUGH  MEREDITH 

know  he  needs  companionship,  but  I  can't 
let  him  run  the  streets  as  other  mothers  do. 
If  I  let  you  stay,  it  will  be  more  on  his 
account — a  sort  of  experiment — rather  than 
for  the  amount  of  work  you  can  do.  I  shall 
keep  on  looking  for  a  yard  man  and  you  can 
do  w^hat  you  can  until  I  get  one.  When 
school  begins  in  September,  you  will,  of 
course,  have  to  go  to  school  and  some  other 
arrangement  will  have  to  be  made  for  you. 
I  feel  that  some  recompense  is  due  you  for 
saving  the  baby  a  fall  today  and  Ralph 
wants  you  to  stay.  Do  try  to  keep  him  out 
of  mischief.  There  is  a  screened  porch  at 
the  back  of  the  house  where  you  can  sleep 
and  put  your  things.  By  the  way,  what 
belongings  have  you?" 

"I  have  a  trunk  over  at  Mrs.  Casey's 
and  that  is  all." 

''Very  well,  I  will  vsend  for  it." 
Later  she  had  him  telephone  to  Mrs. 
Casey  and  that  evening  saw  him  settled  in 
his  now  home.  He  was  to  take  his  meals 
in  the  kitchen,  w^hich  was  no  hardship,  for 
the  kitchen  was  white-enameled  and  spot- 
lessly clean,  moreover,  the  meals  were  gen- 
erous and  of  better  quality  than  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  at  Mrs.  Casey's  and  he  was 


HUGH  MEREDITH  27 

grateful,  besides  Emily,  the  cook,  was  a 
motherly  soul  who  took  him  under  her  wing 
at  once,  muttering  something  about  it  being 
''about  the  most  decent  thing  she  ever  did.'' 

After  dinner,  he  was  summoned  to  the 
library  to  meet  the  man  of  the  house,  Ralph 
pulling  him  along  by  the  hand,  anxious  to 
display  his  new  friend. 

"Malcolm,"  said  the  lady,  as  they  en- 
tered the  library,  "this  is  the  boy  I  told  you 
about.  I  fear  you  will  think  me  foolish  for 
promising  to  keep  him  during  vacation,  but 
I  thought  some  recompense  was  due  him. 
This  is  Mr.  Ward,  Hugh,"  she  added,  turn- 
ing to  the  boy. 

"I  shouldn't  put  it  that  way,  Mildred," 
said  Mr.  Ward,  "but  rather  that  we  are 
glad  to  have  such  a  boy  with  us  and  hope  it 
will  be  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  vacations 
he  has  ever  had." 

"Hugh,"  he  said,  taking  his  hand  and 
patting  his  shoulder  kindl}',  "I  can't  tell 
vou  wliat  it  means  to  me  that  vou  saved  our 
babv  a  fall  todav.  She  is  verv,  verv  dear 
to  me,  and  any  service  rendered  to  either  of 
mv  children  will  be  a  service  rendered  to 


me." 


Wliile    he    was    talking,    Hugh    looked 


28  HUGH  MEREDITH 

steadily  into  his  kind  gray  eyes,  and  now 
Mr.  Ward  added:  "Since  seeing  you,  I 
feel  satisfied  that  you  will  give  us  no  trouble, 
else  all  signs  fail.  If  the  work  is  too  hard 
for  you,  don't  try  to  do  it,  I  will  get  a  man 
somewhere.  I  want  you  to  have  time  to 
play  with  Ralph  a  little,  for  he  seems  to 
have  developed  a  great  liking  for  you." 

Hugh's  heart  was  warmed  by  his  cor- 
diality, and,  with  a  boy's  quick  response, 
secretly  pledged  his  loyalty  to  this  kindly 
man. 

The  next  day  his  trunk  was  delivered, 
with  a  note  from  Mrs.  Casey  expressing 
pleasure  that  he  had  found  such  a  good  place 
and  regret  at  losing  him.  He  was  invited 
to  ''come  over  any  time,"  and,  if  he  didn't 
like  his  new  place  to  come  back  and  stay 
with  her.  She  enclosed  a  postcard  from  his 
friend  of  the  park  bench,  stating  briefly: 

''Got  the  job — a  good  one.  Drop  in  when 
you  get  hungry  and  have  a  square  meal. 
Your  friend,  John  Wagner." 

"How  kind  everybody  is,"  Hugh 
thought,  as  he  put  the  letter  and  postcard 


HUGH  MEREDITH  29 

away  for  safe-keeping  among  his  few  cher- 
ished belongings. 

But  the  following  days  were  difficult 
ones.  The  lawn  needed  mowing  right  away 
and  Hugh  found  it  a  big  job.  By  the  time 
he  had  worked  half  a  day,  it  seemed  the 
place  had  grown  to  an  acre  or  two  instead 
of  a  city  lot,  but  he  finally  finished  and  Mrs. 
Ward  said  it  was  fairly  well  done.  He 
worked  hard,  in  an  effort  to  please  every- 
body, but  soon  found  it  an  impossible  task. 
Mrs.  Ward  was,  as  the  cook  said,  "very 
temperamental."  While  he  ate  his  meals, 
Emily  regaled  him  with  the  family  history. 
Hugh  didn't  know  very  much  about  temper- 
amental people  up  to  this  time,  but  he  soon 
learned  what  the  cook  meant,  for  each  day 
something  happened  to  exasperate  Mrs. 
Ward,  and  he  soon  learned  to  judge  to  what 
extent  she  was  vexed  bv  the  character  of 
her  performance. 

Ralph  was  a  dear  little  active  boy  when 
he  wasn't  "a  regulai-  nuisance,"  as  Emily 
called  him.  Tie  wanted  Hugh  to  play  with 
him  all  the  time  and  was  cross  if  he  didn't, 
but  when  he  had  his  "tantrums"  no  one  but 
Hugh  could  pacify  him.  It  was  wonderful 
the  influence  he  had  over  the  little  fellow. 


30  HUGH  MEREDITH 

Gradually  Hugh  was  given  the  freedom 
of  the  house,  and  many  delightful  evenings 
he  spent  with  the  family  in  the  living  room. 
Sundays  were  always  rest  days.  He  had 
no  work  to  do  on  Sunday  and  was  often 
permitted  to  go  with  the  family,  in  their 
big  machine,  for  long  rides  in  the  country. 
It  was  wonderful  to  him  to  be  in  several 
different  towns  in  one  day,  or  to  spend  the 
day  in  some  quiet  canyon  where  nature  was 
so  still  that  the  sound  of  their  voices  seemed 
to  break  its  sacred  stillness  with  unwonted 
clamor. 

One  Sunday,  however,  when  such  an 
excursion  had  been  planned,  Mrs.  Ward  had 
one  of  her  nervous  headaches  and  was  con- 
fined to  her  room,  so  the  ride  had  to  be  post- 
poned. It  was  late  in  August  and  the  air 
was  hot  and  breathless.  Mr.  Ward  had 
taken  his  paper  to  the  vine-covered  porch 
on  the  shady  side  of  the  house,  where,  half 
reclining  on  a  chaise  longue,  he  was  perus- 
ing its  columns  with  interest.  Just  below, 
in  the  lengthening  shadow  of  the  house, 
Hugh  and  Ralph  were  lying  on  the  grass; 
the  older  boy,  as  usual,  entertaining  the 
younger  with  stories — some  true  and  some 
fiction  of  his  own  invention.  A  small  Boston 


HUGH  MEREDITH  31 

terrier  was  frisking  about  them.  Dan  was 
a  new  addition  to  the  family.  He  had  been, 
given  to  Ralph  on  his  birthday,  a  few  weeks 
previous,  and  was  the  idol  of  the  boy's 
heart,  but,  somehow,  his  young  master's 
chief  delight  in  him  was  to  tease  and  tor-^ 
ment  him.  While  Hugh  had  been  talking, 
Ralph  had  been  teasing  Dan.  He  would 
wait  for  the  dog  to  come  close  to  his  out- 
stretched hand,  seize  his  hind  leg  as  he. 
passed  and  throw  him  violently  to  the 
ground,  holding  on  until  the  poor  little 
animal  cried  with  pain  or  turning  tried  to 
bite  him.  Hugh  watched  this  performance 
until  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  then  he 
said : 

''Ralph,  you  are  hurting  Dan.  Every 
time  you  catch  him  that  way  you  make  him 
cry,  and  sometime  you  might  break  some- 
thing that  would  cause  him  great  pain  and 
he  might  have  to  go  to  the  animal  hospital 
we  saw  last  Sunday.  I  wouldn't  do  that  if 
he  were  my  dog." 

"Aw,  I  didn't  hurt  him,"  Ralph  re- 
torted. "He  likes  it,  else  why  would  he  run 
past  here  just  to  let  me  do  if?" 

"Well,  suppose  we  find  out  if  he  likes 
it,"     Hugh     pi'oi)osed,     with     enthusiasm. 


32  HUGH  MEREDITH 

*' Let's  play  that  you  ai'o  Dan  and  I  will  be 
you,  and  you  get  away  back  tlvere  by  the 
porch  and  come  running  by  me  while  I  lie 
here  on  the  ground.  Then  I'll  catch  your 
leg,  as  you  run  by,  and  you  just  make  an 
awful  fuss,  like  Dan  does." 

''AH  right,"  agreed  Ralph,  beaming. 
Nothing  pleased  him  so  much  as  to  play  a 
game,  and  make-believe  was  the  best  kind 
of  a  game  for  him. 

Mr.  Ward,  who  had  been  paying  but 
slight  attention  to  the  boys'  conversation, 
now  leaned  forward  to  peer  through  the 
vines  with  interest.  Here  was  about  to  be 
enacted  a  little  comedy-drama  entitled  "Put 
yourself  in  the  other  fellow's  place,"  and 
lie  was  interested  at  once. 

All  unconscious  of  the  result  of  this  new 
game,  Ralph  ran  gaily  to  his  position  by 
the  porch  and  then  came  on  with  a  rush 
straight  toward  Hugh's  outstretched  hand. 
Just  as  he  came  within  reach,  Hugh  caught 
his  right  ankle.  Down  he  came,  with  the 
greater  force  for  not  having  tried  to  save 
himself,  face  down  upon  the  hard  ground. 
One  second  may  have  elapsed,  then  a  scream 
that  could  have  been  heard  a  block  away 
that  quiet  Sunday  afternoon,  rent  the  air, 


HUGH  MEREDITH  33 

followed  by  such  a  clamor  as  brought  his 
mother  running  from  her  room  and  the 
neighbors  to  their  windows. 

Hugh  picked  him  up,  though  he  wriggled 
in  protest.  Blood  was  running  from  his 
nose  and  mouth  and  a  large  bruise  on  his 
forehead  was  beginning  to  swell.  Hugh 
tried  to  comfort  him  and  to  wipe  away  the 
blood,  but  Ralph  fiercely  protested. 

Mrs.  Ward,  in  filmy  negligee,  came  out 
on  the  porch  and  began  upbraiding  her  hus- 
band for  not  interfering,  almost  in  a  frenzy 
of  anger  and  anxiety. 

''Hush,"  he  whispered  authoritatively. 
''Keep  quiet  now.  I  want  to  see  how  this 
comes  out." 

Quivering  with  anger,  she  obeyed.  She 
had  never  seen  him  in  this  mood,  nor  had 
he  ever  before  ordered  her  to  be  silent.  She 
was,  therefore,  obliged  to  listen  also  to  what 
came  next. 

Seeing  his  efforts  were  undosirable, 
Hugh  ceased  trying  to  pacify  Ralpli  l)ut  let 
him  cry  for  some  time  until  l?alj)li,  noticing 
his  apparent  indifference,  gradually  ceased 
his  cries.  When  he  recovcncd  his  voice,  hv. 
said  tearfully:  "You're  a  mean  boy;  that's 
what  3^ou  are." 


34  HUGH  MEREDITH 

''Maybe  so,"  agreed  Hugh. 
*'I  say  you^re  a  mean  boy,"  Ralph  re- 
iterated with  emphasis. 

*'Yes,"  replied  Hugh,  ''but  what  I  want 
to  know  is  this,  did  it  hurt  you?" 

"Did  it  hurt  me?  you  bad  boy.  You 
threw  me  down  and  half  killed  me — made 
me  bleed  and  hurt  my  head,"  he  wailed  tear- 
fully. 

"Well,  what  do  you  say  now;  did  it  hurt 
Dan?"  I 

This  was  too  much  for  Ralph.  The 
bluster  ceased,  as  he  realized  in  his  childish 
way  what  had  been  Hugh's  object  in  pro- 
posing the  game  and  he  dropped  his  eyes 
embarrassed,  then  suddenly  arose  and  ran 
toward  the  back  of  the  house. 

Mrs.  Ward  started  to  follow,  but  her 
husband  caught  and  held  her  hand.  "Ralph 
will  come  back,"  he  whispered.  "Stay  here 
and  see  it  through." 

And  presently  Ralph  came  back.  He  had 
washed  his  face.  The  bleeding  had  been  but 
slight  and  only  the  bruise  on  his  forehead 
roniained.  He  sat  down  sheepishly  beside 
Hugh  and  presently  said:  "I  won't  do  it 
any  more,  Hugh.     If  it  hurts  Dan  half  as 


HUGH  MEREDITH  35 

bad  as  it  did  me,  I'm  sorry  I  ever  did  it. 
It  was  such  fun  to  trip  him  up,  but  I  never 
thought  it  hurt  him  so,  honest  I  never. ' ' 

"I  know  you  didn't,  Ralph,"  replied 
Hugh.  "You're  the  best  boy  I  know  of 
most  of  the  time,  but  I  just  had  to  do  it  so 
vou'd  see  how  it  felt.  I'm  awfully  sorrv 
you  bumped  your  head  so  and  made  your 
nose  bleed.  Did  you  hurt  your  mouth,  too?" 
he  asked  anxiously. 

"Nope;  just  bit  my  tongue,"  and  Ralph 
put  out  the  injured  member  for  Hugh  to 
see  the  extent  of  the  injury. 

"I'm  awfully  sorry,"  Hugh  said  again. 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  Ralph  replied. 
"I  don't  care — much,"  he  added. 

"Well  now,  let's  go  and  tell  your  father 
and  Mrs.  AVard,  too,  if  she's  able,"  Hugh 
suggested. 

"Oh,  no!"  exclaimed  Ralph.  "They 
mijrht  be  awfully  angry  and  send  you  away 
and  I  don't  want  you  to  go  away.  No,  you 
mustn't." 

"That's  very  kind  of  you,"  said  Hugh, 
"but  I  must  tell  them  even  if  they  do  send 
me  away." 

Still  arguing,  they  disappeared  ai-ound 
the  house. 


36  HUGH  MEREDITH 

**Now,  what  do  you  think  of  that,  Mil- 
dred?" inquired  Mr.  Ward,  turning  to  his 
exasperated  wife. 

*'I  think  it's  an  outrage,"  she  replied 
angrily.  ''That  my  child  should  have  to 
suffer  such  indignity  at  the  hands  of  that 
boy  from  the  East  side  is  almost  inconceiv- 
able, but  to  have  it  sanctioned  by  you  is 
almost  more  than  I  can  bear,"  she  finished 
tearfully. 

Mr.  Ward  patted  her  hand  and  drew  her 
to  a  seat  beside  him.  "I'm  sorry  if  I  of- 
fended you,  dear,  but  if  we  had  interfered 
it  would  have  spoiled  everything.  Ralph 
has  learned  more  in  fifteen  minutes  than 
you  and  I  have  been  able  to  teach  him  in 
five  years.  He  has  learned  to  see  from  the 
other  fellow's  viewpoint,  to  be  just,  to  be 
sympathetic  and  to  acknowledge  himself  at 
fault.  Do  you  realize,  Mildred,  what  that 
means  to  a  growing  boy,  particularly  one 
petted  and  pampered  as  our  boy  is  ?  This 
one  little  incident  is  worth  more  to  us  than 
it  has  cost  us  in  dollars  and  cents  to  keep 
this  boy  during  vacation." 

Mrs.  Ward  listened  in  silence  and  then 

wrnt  to  her  room  without  making  any  reply. 

Mr.  Ward  sat,  with  knitted  brow,  deep 


HUGH  MEREDITH  37 

ill  thought  until  interrupted  by  the  two  boys 
who  had  been  searching  the  house  for  him. 

"Mr.  Ward,"  said  Hugh,  going  straight 
to  the  point,  ''as  you  must  have  seen  every- 
thing that  has  happened  from  here,  I  will 
not  explain  anything,  because  you  know. 
I'm  sorry  now  that  I  did  it  because  Ralph 
got  an  awful  bump.  I  didn't  think  it  would 
hurt  him  so.  I  thought  the  grass  was 
softer." 

Mr.  Ward  assumed  a  stern  air  as  he 
said:    "Well  it  might  have  been  worse — " 

"Oh  daddy,"  broke  in  Ralph,  "it  didn't 
hurt  me  much,  and  Hugh  never  meant  to 
hurt  me,  honest  daddy,"  throwing  his  ai-ms 
around  his  father's  neck  and  climbing  on 
his  knee.  "You're  not  angry  with  Hugh, 
are  you  daddy?" 

Thus  appealed  to,  Mr.  Ward  laughed 
outright,  and,  gathering  his  little  boy  in  his 
arms,  held  him  close  while  he  extended  his 
free  hand  to  Hugh,  who  grasped  it  eagerly. 

"T  think  you  are  a  pair  of  fine  boys," 
Mr.  Ward  said,  "and  you're  both  going  to 
be  kind  to  Dan  and  generous  with  each  other, 
and  all   the  better  fo?-  having   phiycd   that 


38  HUGH  MEREDITH 

interesting  game  this  afternoon.  Come,  let's 
go  and  get  some  of  that  good  ice  cream  left 
from  dinner." 


Vacation  time  was  almost  over  and  Hugh 
was  wondering  what  was  to  be  his  fate,  but 
wisely  waited  for  his  benefactors  to  speak. 
The  day  before  school  opened,  Mrs.  Ward 
took  the  boys  to  a  big  store  in  the  city  and 
bought  them  each  a  complete  school  outfit. 
Hugh  was  very  happy,  for  he  felt  sure  now 
that  he  was  to  continue  on  with  the  Wards, 
and  the  prospect  of  getting  an  education 
was  very  pleasant  to  contemplate.  He  was 
careful  to  change  his  suit  after  school,  to 
do  what  work  he  could,  and  to  hang  up  his 
new  suit  on  the  hanger  Mrs.  Ward  had  pro- 
vided. On  Saturdays  he  spent  the  entire 
day  working  on  the  lawn.  He  had  done  so 
well  with  it  that  Mr.  Ward  no  longer  talked 
of  getting  a  man.  It  was  the  first  Saturday 
after  school  began  that  Hugh  was  raking 
the  lawn  at  the  rear  of  the  house  when  Janet 
came  out  to  hang  out  some  of  the  baby's 
garments  and  commenced  to  grumble  about 
her  duties.    There  was  always  something  to 


HUGH  MEREDITH  39 

be  done  for  a  baby,  night  and  day.    "I  hate 
babies  anyhow,"  she  finished. 

Hugh  dropped  the  rake  he  was  using,  so 
astonished  that  he  forgot  his  work.  "You 
hate  babies?"  he  ejaculated.  ''Then  what 
are  you  taking  care  of  one  for?  I  thought 
people  who  took  care  of  babies  always  loved 
them  and  that  was  why  they  did  it. ' ' 

"Well,  I  didn't  mean  that  exactly,"  she 
qualified,  repenting  her  hasty  words.  "I 
mean  the  work  that  goes  with  it." 

Hugh  took  up  the  rake  and  commenced 
plying  it  again  while  he  considered  this  new 
problem. 

"Why  don^t  you  do  something  else 
then?"  he  inquired.  "I  suppose  you  are 
another  square  peg." 

"  'Square  peg,'  what  d'y'u  mean?"  she 
flared. 

"Oh,  mother  used  to  say  that  people  who 
were  doing  work  they  didn't  like  to  do  were 
'square  pegs  in  round  holes.'  I  told  a  man 
that  in  the  park  one  day  and  he  decided  to 
quit  being  one  right  away  and  do  som(>thing 
he  wanted  to  do." 

"But  what  else  could  I  do  to  «'arn 
money?" 


i»» 


40  HUGH  MEREDITH 

'*How  did  you  happen  to  be  a  nurse 
maid?" 

"Why  one  day  a  friend  of  ma's  was  tell- 
ing her  that  a  rich  woman  wanted  a  nurse 
maid  and  ma  asked  her  to  get  me  the  place, 
because  I  wouldn't  go  to  school  and  she 
thought  I  ought  to  be  doing  something." 

^'Why  wouldn't  you  go  to  school?" 
*'I  didn't  want  to.    I  hate  school." 
**  Seems  to  me  you  hate  pretty  nearly 
everything.     Mother  used  to  say  that  was 
an  unhappy  state  of  consciousness." 
^^ What's  that?" 

**It  means  you  are  not  happy  in  your 
mind,  without  having  anything  to  make  you 
unhappy.  Everything  is  all  right  on  the 
outside,  but  you're  all  wrong  on  the  inside. 
The  world  is  just  as  big  and  beautiful  as 
ever  but  when  you  think  like  that  you  don 't 
see  the  clouds  and  mountains  over  there  nor 
hear  the  birds  sing." 

Janet  stared  at  him  wide-eyed.  She  had 
not  tried  to  reason  out  the  cause  of  her 
discomfiture.  She  only  knew  she  was  mis- 
erable. Then  she  remembered  her  griev- 
ance. ''I  don't  care  anything  about  that. 
I  want  to  go  to  the  dance  tonight,  but  Mrs. 


HUGH  MEREDITH  41 

Ward  has  plamied  an  evening  out.  You 
should  have  seen  her  'rave'  when  I  asked 
for  the  evening  off.  She  had  one  of  her 
spells  and  is  laid  up  with  a  headache  now, 
and  I  hope  it  will  last  all  evening."  All 
Janet's  resentment  came  back  with  a  rush 
and  she  added:  "I  don't  care  anything 
about  vour  clouds  and  mountains,  birds  and 
things,  I  want  to  go  to  the  dance  tonight. 
I've  got  a  chance  to  go  with  a  nice  fellow 
and  I  ought  to  have  some  fun." 

Hugh  gazed  at  her  in  wonder,  unable  to 
offer  any  argument  that  might  appeal  to 
such  a  girl.  Finally  he  said :  "I  could  take 
care  of  the  baby  if  Mrs.  Ward  would  let  me. 
I  would  sit  in  the  nursery  and  read  until 
Mrs.  Ward  came  home,  and,  if  Helen  Marie 
cried  and  I  couldn't  manage,  Emily  would 
be  in  the  house  and  I  could  call  her." 

"She  wouldn't  let  a  kid  like  you  take 
care  of  the  baby,  you  silly,"  Janet  scoffed. 

Somewhat  crestfallen,  Hugh  subsided 
into  silence.  Janet  noticing  this,  and  think- 
ing she  had  offended  him,  tried  to  make 
amends.  "There,  I  didn't  mean  that,"  sh(^ 
said,  patting  his  shoulder.  I'll  bet  you 
could  take  better  care  of  her  than  T  could  if 
Mrs.   Ward  would  let  you,   but  she  wont. 


42  HUGH  MEREDITH 


?> 


You  don't  know  her.    She's  a  regular  cat 

To  this  Hugh  made  no  reply.  He  was 
thinking  about  square  pegs.  Janet  went  on 
hanging  up  the  garments. 

''I  guess  you're  a  'square  peg'  all  right," 
observed  Hugh  finally.  "What  would  you 
rather  do  than  take  care  of  babies?"  he 
asked. 

"I'd  rather  wait  table  in  a  restaurant," 
she  replied  promptly.  "You  get  to  see  folks 
there  and  3^ou  don't  have  something  to  do 
all  day  long  and  all  night,  too.  I  know  a 
girl  who  waits  table  and  she  has  lots  of  time 
off  between  meals,  and  at  9  o'clock  she  can 
go  to  a  dance  and  stay  as  long  as  she 
pleases." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  much  of  such  a  life 
as  that,"  said  Hugh,  "but  if  you  do,  I  sup- 
pose you'll  have  to  try  it  out.  Mother  said 
most  people  had  to  learn  by  experience  be- 
cause they  wouldn't  take  advice,  and,  if 
you're  one  of  those  people  and  must  wait 
table  in  a  restaurant,  I  have  a  friend  in  the 
business  and  I'll  write  him  a  letter  and  ask 
him  to  give  you  a  job.  You  could  take  the 
letter  yourself  and  I  think  he  would  give  it 
to  vou  if  he  had  one." 


1J 


HUGH  MEREDITH  43 

* '  Oh,  would  you  1 ' '  cried  Janet  with  shin- 
ing eyes.  ''Then  do  so  right  away,  as  she's 
going  to  let  me  out  anyway,  I  know,  and  I 
would  appreciate  it,  I  tell  you." 

She  returned  to  the  house.    Hugh  looked 
after  her  thoughtfully.  "Restaurant,  huh! 
he  soliloquized.    ' '  Doesn  't  look  good  to  me. 

With  a  shrug,  as  if  to  shake  off  some- 
thing unpleasant,  he  fell  to  work  with  a  will,, 
but  the  matter  would  intrude  itself  on  his-, 
more  pleasant  musings,  and  the  more  he 
thought  about  it,  the  less  he  liked  the  looks 
of  things.  He  was  sorry  he  had  spoken  so 
hastily.  His  only  thought  had  been  to  help 
the  girl  out  of  her  difficulty  and  he  hadn't 
realized  that  he  might  be  interfering  with 
Mrs.  Ward's  arrangements  and  meddling 
in  her  household  affairs.  When  he  could 
stand  it  no  longer,  he  abandoned  his  work, 
washed  his  face  and  hands,  carefully 
brushed  his  hair  and  went  upstairs  to  seo 
Mrs.  Ward.  He  tapjx'd  lightly  on  her  door, 
so  as  not  to  awaken  her  if  sh<'  had  fallen 
asleep,  and  \vait(;d  with  some  trei)i(lntiot> 
for  her  curt:    ''Wlio's  then^.^" 

"It  is  I,  Mrs.  Ward,  Hugh." 

"Well,  what  do  you  want?"  she  de- 
manded. 


44  HUGH  MEREDITH 

**I'd  like  to  speak  with  you  a  minute,  if 
I  may,"  he  answered. 

"Come  in  then,"  she  commanded. 

He  opened  the  door  cautiously.  Mrs. 
Ward  had  been  lying  on  a  couch  by  the 
window,  but  sat  up  as  he  entered.  She 
looked  worn  and  pale,  but  her  eyes  shone 
with  unusual  brilliance  as  she  fixed  them  on 
the  slirinking  boy.  "What's  the  matter 
nowT'  she  demanded.  "Haven't  I  had 
anough  to  contend  with  for  one  day?" 

"I'm  sorry  to  bother  you,"  the  boy  be- 
gan haltingly,  "but  I  wanted  to  tell  you 
something." 

"Well,  please  be  brief,"  she  replied,  tap- 
ping the  rug  nervously  with  her  slippered 
foot.  "I  have  had  about  all  I  can  stand  for 
one  day." 

More  than  ever,  Hugh  regretted  that  he 
had  come,  but,  since  there  was  no  other  way 
out,  he  plunged  desperately  into  the  very 
middle  of  his  carefully  prepared  speech: 

"I  just  wanted  to  tell  you  that  I  told 
Janet  I  would  take  care  of  Helen  Marie 
tonight,  if  you  would  let  me,  as  she  wants 
to  go  to  a  dance  so  badly  that  she  will  be 
very  much  disappointed  if  she  doesn't  get 
to,  and  she  says  you  have  an  evening  out." 


HUGH  MEREDITH  45 

"Well  of  all  the  preposterous  proposals 
I  ever  heard!"  cried  Mrs.  Ward,  springing 
up  to  pace  up  and  down  the  room.  As  her 
nervousness  increased,  she  clinched  and  un- 
clinched  her  fingers,  reaching  out  as  if  to 
grasp  something,  pressed  her  hands  to  her 
forehead,  sometimes  burying  her  fingers  in 
her  soft,  fluffy  hair  as  if  she  would  pull  it 
out.  Then  she  would  drop  her  hands  with 
a  gesture  of  despair,  only  to  repeat  the, 
whole  i)erformance  again  and  again.  Hugh 
watched  her  fasciiuxted  and  forgot  the  pur- 
pose of  his  errand,  his  relative  position, 
everything  but  Mrs.  Ward's  strange  be- 
havior. 

"Are  you  a  'tragedy  queen,'  Mjs. 
Ward?"  he  asked  with  interest. 

*'What?"  she  almost  screamed. 

''I  asked  if  you  were  a  Hragedy  queen,'  " 
he  repeated  innocently.  ''I  never  saw  but 
one  lady  who  could  do  that  way  and  she  was 
in  a  play.  I  asked  mother  what  made  her 
do  that  and  mother  said  she  was  a  famous 
'tragedy  rjucen'  and  was  playing  a  part." 

Mrs.  Ward  had  turtied  away,  without 
answering,  and  Hugh  went  on: 

''There  was  a  lady  lived  at  Mrs.  Casey's 
once   who   could   .-ilniost   do   it,   but   mother 


46  HUGH  MEREDITH 

said  she  just  'lacked  self-control.'  I  could- 
n't see  very  much  difference  between  the 
way  ^he  did  and  the  way  the  lady  did  on 
the  stage,  only  the  stage  lady  was  beau- 
tiful like  you,  Mrs.  Ward.  I  asked  mother 
what  self-control  meant,  and  she  said:  'just 
•what  it  says,  being  able  to  control  oneself,' 
but  yours  must  be  the  'tragedy  queen'  kind, 
for  this  lady  I  told  you  about  got  so  old  and 
sick  looking  and  finally  went  to  a  hospital, 
and  I  don't  know  what  became  of  her  after 
that." 

"You  may  go  now,"  Mrs.  Ward  said 
with  a  chilling  accent.  "I  will  send  for 
you  later,"  she  added,  as  he  obediently 
moved  toward  the  door,  cold  with  fear  that 
lie  had  inadvertently  offended  his  benefac- 
tress, for  whom  he  was  beginning  to  have 
a  stronger  feeling  than  gratitude  or  admir- 
ation, but  he  would  have  been  comforted  if 
he  had  known  that  something  within  her 
had  stirred  to  awakening  life  and  she 
wanted  to  be  alone  to  analyze  it. 

After  he  had  closed  the  door  softly,  Mrs. 
Ward  seated  herself  comfortably  and  grad- 
ually relaxed  the  tension  of  her  nerves.  Her 
trained  mind  quickly  grasped  the  import 
of  Hugh's  simile  as  applied  to  her  case  and 


HUGH  MEREDITH  47 

she  determined  to  master  the  fine  art  of 
self-control  at  once.  She  forgot  the  seem- 
ing impudence  of  the  homeless  waif  from 
the  East  side  and  did  not  realize  that  she 
was  giving  weight  to  the  wisdom  of  a  mere 
child  when  she  began  to  search  herself  as 
an  impartial  critic;  but  it  marked  the  be- 
ginning of  a  new  regime  for  her. 

About  an  hour  later,  she  sent  Ralph  to 
call  Hugh,  and  the  boy  (who  had  had  a  bad 
hour  in  awful  suspense  over  the  conse- 
quence of  his  boldness  which  he  had  not 
realized  at  the  time)  went  again  hesitat- 
ingly toward  the  room  he  dreaded  to  enter. 
However,  he  reasoned,  philosophically,  that 
everything  has  to  have  an  end  sometime  and 
he  might  as  well  know  his  fate.  This  re- 
newed his  courage  and  he  tapped  lightly  on 
the  door.  Mrs.  Ward  opened  the  door  and 
put  her  arm  around  him  as  he  entered.  Her 
face,  always  beautiful  to  him,  seemed  to 
radiate  light,  so  wonderful  was  its  (expres- 
sion. He  could  only  gaze  at  her  in  wonder- 
ing admiration.  Seeing  which,  she  lauc^hcd 
happily  and  drew  him  to  a  seat  beside  hrr 
on  the  couch,  for  a  little  talk. 

"Hugh,  my  dear,"  she  began,  '*yoii  have 
taught  me  the  most  valuable  lesson  of  my 


48  HUGH  MEREDITH 

life,  ill  which  I  have  learned  two  things — 
how  to  analyze  myself  and  how  to  control 
myself." 

''Why,  Mrs.  Ward,  I  didn't  teach  you 
anything,"  exclaimed  the  astonished  boy. 
"I  was  afraid  I  had  offended  you." 

''Never  again,  dear  boy,"  laughed  Mrs. 
Ward.  "I  am  going  to  be  a  different  woman 
from  now  on,  and,  if  I  do  not  prove  so,  I 
want  you  to  tell  me  about  it  and  I  will 
promise  not  to  be  offended.  I  find  I  have 
been  very  foolish  all  these  years  to  allow 
myself  to  be  mastered  by  the  trivial  events 
of  a  day  instead  of  mastering  them,  and  by 
not  realizing  that  I  am  superior  to  any  cir- 
cumstance that  I  will  have  to  cope  vdth, 
and  you  have  shown  me  all  this  by  a  chance 
remark,  or  was  it  chance  ?  No,  I  think  there 
was  a  purpose  in  it  which  was  fulfilled. 
To  show  you  how  much  I  appreciate  this 
service  and  how  much  I  trust  you,  I  am 
going  to  let  you  stay  with  Helen  Marie  to- 
night in  the  nursery,  as  you  suggested.  I 
have  let  Janet  go,  as  she  isn't  satisfied  here, 
and  she  told  me  about  the  talk  you  had  with 
her  that  you  came  to  tell  me  about.  You 
may  write  the  letter  you  spoke  to  her  about, 
so  that  she  can  get  a  more  desirable  position, 


HUGH  MEREDITH  49 

if  possible.  I  have  secured  the  services  of 
a  nice  middle-aged  lady,  who  loves  babies, 
to  take  care  of  Helen  Marie.  I  was  talking 
to  a  friend  over  the  'phone,  a  few  minutes 
ago,  and  I  happened  to  speak  of  needing 
the  services  of  a  good  nurse,  and  my  friend 
recommended  this  lady.  However,  she  can- 
not be  here  until  tomorrow.  How  easily 
the  problems  solve  themselves  when  one  has 
learned  the  secret ! ' ' 

'' That's  it,  Mrs.  Ward.  That's  what 
I've  been  wanting  to  say,"  cried  Hugh  en- 
thusiastically. 

''Well  then,"  replied  Mrs.  Ward,  "we 
will  call  this  our  secret  for  the  present.  I 
w^ant  to  try  out  my  new  self-control.  You 
can  go  and  write  your  letter  for  Janet  and 
after  awhile  you  can  go  to  sleep  on  the  couch 
in  the  nursery,  and,  if  the  baby  cries  and 
you  can't  pacify  her,  call  Emily.  We  will 
be  back  bv  12  o'clock  I  think,  and  I  am 
sure  you  will  get  along  all  I'ight." 

Hugh's  heart  was  light,  as  he  ran  down 
the  softly  carpeted  steps  to  the  library  to 
wi'ite  the  note  to  Mr.  Wagnci-.     It  ran: 
"Dear  Mr.  Wagner: 

I  am  sending  you  anothci-  squai'e  jx'g. 
She  wants  to  wait  table  so  she  can  go  to 


50  HUGH  MEREDITH 

dances  at  9  o'clock.  She  took  care  of  our 
baby  but  she  doesn't  like  babies  very  well 
but  likes  to  see  people  in  a  restaurant.  I 
thought  you  might  have  a  job  for  her  and 
I  would  be  glad  if  you  would  give  her  one. 
We  got  another  nurse  for  our  baby. 

How  are  you  getting  along  in  the  res- 
taurant now?    Hope  fine. 

Your  friend, 

Hugh.'' 

When  Mr.  Wagner  read  this  note  (which 
fortimately  had  been  sealed)  the  next  day, 
he  smiled.  The  '^square  peg"  was  a  plump 
little  brunette  who  might  have  been  con- 
sidered quite  pretty  by  some,  and  the  refer- 
ence to  ''our  baby"  also  amused  him.  It 
happened  that  one  of  his  waitresses  was  ill 
and  this  girl,  though  a  green  hand,  might 
prove  to  be  apt  if  she  really  liked  the  bus- 
iness; besides,  he  liked  Hugh  and  would  be 
glad  to  do  him  a  favor,  so  he  employed 
Janet. 

Having  given  Janet  the  note,  Hugh 
had  dismissed  the  matter  from  his  mind, 
and,  through  the  long  hours  until  midnight 
he  sat  watching  the  flower-like  face  of 
Helen  Marie  in  her  dainty  bed  under  the 
softly  shaded  lights  of  the  nursery.     Not 


HUGH  MEREDITH  51 

once  did  he  close  his  eyes  until  Mrs.  Ward 
came  to  relieve  him,  lest  he  be  unworthy  of 
the  trust.  Somehow  those  hours  in  the  still- 
ness of  night,  alone  with  the  baby,  made  a 
lasting  impression  on  the  boy  and  increased 
his  love  for  the  child  immeasurably;  and 
she  responded,  as  the  days  went  by,  by 
manifesting  a  decided  preference  for  his 
society.  As  the  evenings  grew  chill  and 
the  family  gathered  around  the  grate  fire 
in  the  living  room,  he  would  devote  himself 
to  amusing  her  and  Ralph  until  their  bed- 
time, then  he  would  get  his  lessons  for  the 
next  day. 

Hugh  had  now  been  with  the  Wards 
about  five  months.  The  days  had  glided 
swiftly  and  pleasantly  by,  each  fiUod  witli 
some  new  and  interesting  situation  or  ad- 
venture. His  stay  with  the  family  seemed 
to  be  assured  and  nothing  was  said,  in  his 
presence  at  least,  regarding  his  future 
Gradually  he  also  ceased  to  think  about   it. 

The  autumn  days  were  beautiful.  Tiiere 
had  been  some  frost  and  the  leaves  were 
turning  red  and  gold.  A  filmy  haze  hung 
over  the  city,  and,  through  it,  the  slanting 


52  HUGH  MEREDITH 

rays  of  the  sun  filtered  pleasantly  warm 
and  conducive  to  idle  dreams.  After  school, 
Hugh  loved  to  lie  on  his  back  looking  to- 
ward the  sun,  with  half-closed  eyes  and 
seeing  what  appeared  to  be  fiery  sparks 
bursting  from  a  small  red-gold  disc  at  a 
great  distance  and  rushing  toward  him  in 
iridescent  splendor.  While  looking  down 
this  cone-shaped  vista,  he  would  weave  the 
most  wonderful  dream  stories.  He  acquired 
this  habit  through  the  necessity  of  produc- 
ing at  least  one  new  story  every  day  for 
Ralj^h,  w^ho  had  an  insatiable  desire  for 
stories  and  listened  with  flattering  interest 
as  long  as  Hugh  would  tell  them.  Hugh 
had  long  since  exhausted  his  original  sup- 
ply and  had  read  aloud  a  number  of  story 
books  which  Ralph  had  received  on  various 
gift  days.  He  liked  "Alice  in  Wonderland" 
and  a  simplified  edition  of  "Arabian 
Nights"  best  of  these,  but  the  stories  that 
Hugh  "made  up"  were  the  most  interesting 
of  all  to  Ralph.  It  was  wonderful  the 
number  and  variety  of  these  stories  that 
came  to  him  during  these  brief  periods,  for 
Ralph,  seeing  him  thus  absorbed  and  antic- 
ipating a  new  story,  would  scarcely  give 
him  time  to  reach  a  climax.    Once,  when  a 


li 


HUGH  MEREDITH  53 

particularly  interesting  story  had  been  in- 
terrupted in  this  way,  Hugh  was  moved  to 
say,  with  pardonable  impatience:  "Ralph, 
why  don't  you  make  up  some  stories  of  your 
own?  Mother  said  people  who  had  imag- 
ination were  never  lonesome.  If  they  were 
children,  they  could  play  by  themselves,  and 
if  they  were  grown  people,  they  could  just 
sit  still  and  have  a  good  time." 

''But  I  can't,"  complained  Ralph. 

"I  don't  believe  you  ever  tried,  Ralph, 
and  I  think  that  would  be  a  nice  new  game 
for  you.  Try  it  sometime  when  I'm  not 
here." 

Ralph  looked  dubious,  but  agreed  to  try. 

A  new  diversion  was  oifered  by  Hallow- 
e'en night.  After  school  the  boys  carved 
their  pumpkins.  Ralph  insisted  on  doing 
his  own,  but  soon  cut  his  finger  and  relin- 
quished the  task  to  the  older  boy.  To  make 
up  for  this  disappointment,  Hugh  let  him 
scoop  out  the  seeds,  and  his  pleasure  in  the 
occasion  was  restored. 

When  it  grew  dariv,  tlicy  lighted  llifir 
candles  and  sallied  forth  to  give  the  neigh- 
bor children  a  thrill,  but  it  turned  out  that 
Rali)h  was  the  most  frightened  oi"  all  when 
a  couple  of  boys,  in  white  shrouds,  carrying 


54  HUGH  MEREDITH 

huge  pumpkins  with  terrible  faces  showing 
teeth,  started  to  chase  him.  Ralph  took  one 
look  over  his  shoulder  and  ran  as  fast  as 
he  could  toward  home,  closely  followed  by 
Hugh  trying  to  hearten  him.  Gaining  the 
front  steps,  however,  and  eluding  his  pur- 
suers, Ralph's  courage  returned  and  he 
insisted  on  sitting  down  to  hear  the  ghost 
stories  Hugh  had  reluctantly  promised 
earlier  in  the  day,  but  Hugh  thought  he 
had  had  enough  thrills  for  one  evening  and 
wisely  decided  to  turn  the  whole  experience 
to  good  account,  so  he  inquired: 

''What  made  you  run  from  Harold  and 
Joe  and  get  so  frightened  ?  You  knew  they 
were  going  to  wear  sheets  and  have  those 
big  pumpkins  ?  Wliy  you  saw  them  growing 
in  the  back  yard  yourself.  Now  what  made 
you  get  so  scared?" 

"Yes,  I  knew  about  it,"  admitted  Ralph, 
"but  they  chased  me  and  I  saw  those  awful 
faces  and  everything,  and  I  got  scared,"  he 
finished  lamely. 

"Well,  don't  tell  me  you  haven't  got  any 
imagination  any  more,"  said  Hugh.  "I'll 
say  you're  chuck  full  of  it,  and  it's  a  really 
truly  fact  that  most  everything  people  are 
afraid  of  is  nothing  but  a  picture  of  some- 


HUGH  MEREDITH  55 

thing  that  might  be  scarey  if  it  was  real, 
but  the  real  things,  like  the  Invisible  Pres- 
ence, aren't  scarey  at  all,  so  when  you  go 
to  getting  scared,  you  just  say:  'That's 
only  a  picture.  It  isn't  a  real  scare,'  and 
you'll  get  right  over  it.  If  you  don't,  just 
think  about  the  Invisible  Presence  that's 
always  with  you  and  it'll  make  you  feel 
safe." 

Hugh  always  adopted  the  ungrammat- 
ical  language  of  the  smaller  boy  when  he 
wanted  to  impress  him  deeply,  and  it  always 
had  the  desired  effect. 

''All  right,"  agreed  Ralph.  "I'll  try 
the  next  time." 

Not  long  afterward,  he  was  tucked  in 
bed  sleeping  peacefully,  with  no  ill  effect, 
apparently,  from  his  adventure.  But  Hugh 
lay  awake  for  some  time,  gazing  up  at  the 
stars  and  thinking.  The  nights  were  get- 
ting chill  and  Mr.  Wai-d  had  ordered  ma- 
terial to  enclose  Hugh's  porch  with  glass, 
and  pipe  for  a  gas  heatci-.  lie  thought  of 
this  material  now  on  the  ground  and  to  be 
used  on  the  moT'row  to  make  him  more  com- 
fortable, and  it  made  a  pleasant  glow  of 
warmth  steal  over  his  body  and  soon  he  was 
asleep,  but  was  awakened,  a  few  mi  mites 


56  HUGH  MEREDITH 

later,  by  a  curious  feeling  of  something 
approaching.  A  queer  sensation  crept  up 
his  back  and  raised  the  hair  on  his  head  in 
a  most  uncomfortable  manner.  He  remem- 
bered his  advice  to  Ralph  earlier  in  the 
evening  and  immediately  started  to  put  it 
into  practice,  with  an  added  prayer  to  his 
mother  for  protection.  It  was  wonderful 
how  it  lent  him  courage.  He  sat  up  and 
peered  into  the  dark.  At  that,  someone 
stumbled  on  a  section  of  pipe  and  fell  on 
the  pile  of  lumber. 

''Who's  there?"  challenged  Hugh  in  a 
clear,  ringing  voice. 

''Cut  out  the  noise,  kid.  I  aint  goin'  to 
hurt  you  if  you  keep  still,"  came  in  a  hoarse 
whisper. 

With  a  strong  temptation  to  flee  in 
panic,  his  physical  body  trembling  with 
fear,  Hugh  was  conscious  of  a  superior 
power  seeking  control. 

"It's  the  Invisible  Presence,"  he  said  to 
himself. 

By  this  time  the  man  had  groped  his  way 
to  the  steps,  and  another  man  was  standing 
just  inside  the  hall  door  leading  to  Hugh's 
porch.  Mr.  Ward  had  heard  the  intruder 
pass  beneath  his  window,  and,  guided  by 


HUGH  MEREDITH  57 

Hugh's  voice,  had  arrived  at  the  door  just 
as  the  man  reached  the  steps. 

*' Unhook  this  door,  kid,  or  I'll  have  to 
cut  the  screen;  and  be  quick  about  it." 

''What  do  you  want?"  asked  Hugh. 

''I  want  you  to  tell  me  where  the  val- 
uables are  quick,"  the  man  urged. 

' '  I  '11  tell  you  where  you  can  get  anything 
you  need,  if  you'll  tell  me  what  you  want  it 
for,"  returned  Hugh. 

The  man  behind  the  door  started  vio- 
lently, but  still  waited. 

The  man  outside  muttered  impatiently: 
''You're  wastin'  time  and  will  wake  every- 
body up  talking  so  much.  Just  keep  still 
now.     I'm  comin'  in." 

He  started  to  cut  the  screen.  "Stop  it, 
or  I  shall  scream,"  said  Hugh,  "even  if  you 
shoot  me  for  it.  These  folks  are  the  best 
friends  I  have  in  the  world  and  I'm  not 
going  to  have  anything  happen  to  them  that 
I  can  prevent." 

"Oh,  you're  not/  (I'ausc  )  (Jood  io 
you,  eh?" 

"Yes,  when  mother  went  away  and  I 
was  all  alone  over  on  the  East  side  at  Mrs. 
Casey's,  I  came  over  here  looking  foi-  work 


58  HUGH  MEREDITH 

and  these  people  took  me  in  and  are  as  kind 
to  me  as  if  I  belonged." 

The  man  was  silent  a  long  time  and 
Hugh  wondered  what  it  meant.  Finally  he 
muttered:  "Guess  I'll  go  somewhere  else; 
but  say,  you  said  you  'd  tell  me  where  I  could 
get  anything  I  want.    I'd  like  to  know." 

Here  was  safe  ground  for  Hugh,  and, 
pulling  the  blankets  around  him,  he  started 
to  tell  the  man  all  about  the  Invisible  Pres- 
ence, in  his  enthusiasm  forgetting  his  fear 
and  leaning  closer  to  the  man  so  as  to  speak 
in  lower  tones  and  not  arouse  the  family. 

"Mother  said,"  he  proceeded,  "that  the 
Invisible  Presence  is  the  Spirit  of  Good  in 
the  world.  It  is  everything  that  seems  good 
to  people — like  health  and  love  and  happi- 
ness and  wealth  and  lots  of  other  things, 
and  people  can  have  everything  they  need 
if  they  love  everything  good  and  never  do 
anybody  else  a  wrong.  If  they  do  anybody 
else  a  wrong,  then  they  can't  have  every- 
thing good,  but  get  back  something  like 
they  did  to  somebody  else  that  was  wrong. ' ' 
After  a  pause  he  added  thoughtfully:  "It 
looks  like  most  everybody  has  done  some- 
body else  a  wrong  'cause  most  everybody 
seems  to  want  something  they  haven't  got 


HUGH  MEREDITH  59 

and  not  to  want  what  they  have.  Well,  any- 
way, if  they  turn  right  around  and  try  to 
do  good  to  everybody,  the  bad  things  will 
stop  coming  and  good  things  begin  to  come.*' 

The  man  heard  him,  without  interrup- 
tion, until  he  finished,  then  said: 

"That  sounds  good,  boy,  but  tomorrow 
morning  I've  got  to  produce  one  hundred 
dollars  or  lose  my  home  that  I've  been 
slavin'  for  years  to  hold.  I've  got  nine 
hundred  dollars  paid  on  it  and  had  this 
hundred  just  about  saved  up  when  both  my 
children  got  sick  with  diphtheria  and  I  had 
to  pay  it  all  out  to  save  them,  and  the  doc- 
tor ain't  all  paid  yet." 

"But  it  wouldn't  do  you  any  good  to 
steal.  Thev'd  just  put  vou  in  jail,"  put  in 
Hugh. 

"They  wouldn't  a'  caught  me  if  I  hadn't 
run  into  you;  but,  hang  it,  you  interest  me. 
I  haven't  never  seen  such  a  kid." 

"There  was  a  lady  lived  at  Mi-s.  Casey's 
once,  and  mother  used  to  bring  her  sewing 
from  the  factory  and  take  it  ba(;k  and  col- 
lect the  money  for  her  'cause  she  had  two 
little  babies  and  couldn't  leave  them,  and 
she  told  mother  all  about  the  j)r('tty  home 
they  had  in  the  suburbs  and  were  paying 


60  HUGH  MEREDITH 

for  like  that,  and  the  man  worked  in  a  bank, 
and  one  time  they  got  behind  in  their  pay- 
ments and  he  took  a  little  money  from  the 
bank.  Nobody  noticed  it,  so  he  took  a  little 
more,  and  finally  they  paid  for  their  place 
and  got  an  automobile  and  everything. 
Then  one  day  they  arrested  him  and  put 
him  in  the  penitentiary  and  they  lost  every- 
thing, and  that  lady  often  wished  they  had 
given  up  the  place  right  at  first  rather  than 
take  one  cent  that  didn't  belong  to  them, 
and  then  her  husband  would  have  been  hon- 
orable, and  that 's  the  way  your  folks  would 
feel  if  you  took  anything  from  Mr.  Ward. 

''Ward!  Ward!  you  say;  not  Malcolm 
Ward?" 

''Why  yes,  why?" 

"Why  that's  the  old  thief  himself;  one 
of  them  anyway.  They're  a  bunch  of  crooks, 
I  tell  you.  Get  people  to  slave  away  and 
put  every  nickel  of  their  savings  in  these 
houses  and  then  take  the  whole  works  away 
from  them,  no  matter  how  many  payments 
they've  made  on  time  if  the  last  one  ain't. 
I'd  better  have  been  enjoying  myself  on 
that  $900  and  givin'  my  family  some  of  the 
comforts  and  pleasures  of  life  than  just  to 
hand  it  to  that  bunch  of  crooks  to  enjoy 


HUGH  MEREDITH  61 

themselves  on  and  buy  their  folks  presents." 
"But  Mr.  Ward  isn't  like  that,"  per- 
sisted Hugh.  "He  wouldn't  take  anything 
that  didn't  belong  to  him  or  rob  anybody 
of  comforts  or  pleasures.  Why,  just  look 
what  he  did  for  me!" 

"Yes,  that's  the  way  a  lot  of  'em  do. 
They  rob  a  lot  of  people  and  do  a  charitable 
act  once  in  a  great  while.  Gee,  they  ought 
to." 

"But  mother  said  folks  shouldn't  think 
about  how  much  money  other  people  liave 
or  how  they  get  it  or  spend  it,  because 
there's  always  something  else  those  people 
would  like  to  have  and  don't  have, — some- 
thing they  can't  buy  with  their  money,  like 
love,  or  health,  or  friends.  Then,  too,  peo- 
ple who  haven't  lots  of  money  can  just  ask 
the  Invisible  Presence  for  what  they  need 
and  pretty  soon  they  get  it.  I'll  tell  you 
what;  you  ask  the  Invisible  Presence  to 
help  you  and  then  go  down  to  Mr.  Wai'd's 
office  and  ask  for  him  and  tell  liiin  about  it, 
and  I  think  he  will  help  you  out  this  time; 
and  after  that,  the  Invisible  Pi'esencc  will 
help  you  ererji  time  if  you  ask  for  it.  But 
I  sav.  Mister,  what  made  V(nn-  children 
sick?" 


62  HUGH  MEREDITH 

'*0h,  I  guess  Providence  wanted  to 
punish  me  for  something  or  other  'cause  He 
knew  them  children  was  dearer  to  me  than 
anything  else  in  the  world  'ceptin'  their 
mother.  That's  the  way  He  sometimes 
brings  people  around,  they  said  over  to  the 
meetin'  house ;  but  it  didn't  bring  me  around 
any.  My  heart's  been  like  a  stone  ever 
since.  I  asked  one  of  them  fellers  over 
there  how  he  accounted  for  the  fact  that 
the  children  didn't  die  after  all,  and  he  said 
it  was  'cause  God  decided  to  show  mercy, 
or  somethin'  like  that.  That  cooked  me.  I 
ain't  been  there  since." 

Hugh  considered  this  for  several  min- 
utes, then  said  thoughtfully:  ''I  think 
that's  all  wrong.  Mister.  Mother  said  'God 
is  always  good,  whether  we  appreciate  it  or 
not,  and  any  misfortunes  that  come  to  folks 
are  the  result  of  wrong  thinking  either  by 
themselves  or  somebody  else,  and  I  don't 
believe  God  would  make  little  children  suf- 
fer to  punish  somebody  else  anyhow.  Now 
who  was  it  did  the  wrong  thinking  that 
made  the  children  sick?" 

"Why,  nobody  as  I  know  of." 
"Yes,  there  had  to  be  somebody,  because 
mother  said  so." 


HUGH  MEREDITH  63 

**You  sure  do  think  a  lot  of  your  mother, 
don't  you?  Now  let's  see,  who  did  the 
wrong  thinking?  I  can't  make  it  out.  It 
was  like  this:  the  children  slipped  out  the 
back  way,  while  we  had  company,  and  got 
the  hose  and  carried  it  out  to  the  garden 
spot  to  make  mud  pies.  I  went  out  to  get 
a  drink  at  the  sink  in  the  kitchen  and  saw 
them  with  it.  I  called  my  wife  and  she  took 
one  look  and  said  they  wouldn't  do  any 
harm.  I  said  they  would,  'cause  it  was  a 
cold  day,  and  that  started  an  argument. 
She  went  back  in  the  parlor  and  there 
wasn't  anything  fer  me  to  do  but  follow; 
so  the  kids  played,  and  after  awhile  they 
came  in  all  wet  and  cold,  and  I  says  to  my 
wife:  'Now,  you  see,  they've  caught  their 
death  of  cold,'  and  sure  enough  that  night 
they  commenced  to  have  diphtheria.  Now 
was  that  the  result  of  wi-oiio-  thiiikiii',  I'd 
like  to  know?" 

''Yes,"  replied  Hugh.  ''T  tliiiik  it  was. 
The  childi'en  thought  wrong  when  they  took 
the  hose  knowing  you  wouldn't  want  llicm 
to.  The  lady  thought  WT'ong  when  she  said 
they  wouldn't  do  any  harm,  for  she  must 
have  known  better,  it  being  such  a  cold  day; 
and  you  thought  wrong  when  you  went  back 


64  HLTOH  MEREDITH 

in  the  parlor  believing  all  the  things  you 
had  said  were  true.  There  ^s  always  some- 
thing tells  folks  when  they're  doing  wrong, 
but  lots  of  times  they  don't  listen.  If  they 
would  listen,  and  not  get  afraid,  everything 
would  come  out  all  right,  and  nobody  would 
be  sick.'' 

"You  don't  say?  Well,  I  swan!"  ejac- 
ulated the  man.  'Must  'thinkin'  and  listen- 
in','  eh?  You  say  your  ma's  dead;  what 
made  her  die?" 

For  a  moment  Hugh  hesitated,  then  the 
application  of  the  truth  he  had  just  been 
asserting  came  to  him  in  a  flash  of  illum- 
inating insight  as  he  answered:  "It  was 
on  account  of  wrong  thinking,  too.  She 
told  me  all  about  how  to  think  right,  but 
she  didn't  think  right  about  herself.  She 
could  just  as  well  have  lived,  but  she 
thought  all  she  could  do  was  to  work  at  the 
factory  and  that  somebody  else  could  give 
me  a  better  chance.  She  got  discouraged 
and  tired  and  just  quit  trying  to  live." 

"But  it  turned  out  the  way  she  said, 
didn't  it?"  asked  the  man,  seeing  a  chance 
to  score. 

"It  turned  out  the  way  she  thought 
about  it,"  replied  Hugh,  "but  the  Invisible 


HUGH  MEREDITH  65 

Presence  could  have  helped  two  just  as  well 
as  one  if  we  had  both  thought  so." 

*'Well,  I  swan!  If  you  don't  beat  all!" 
muttered  the  man.  ''Say,  I  think  I  better 
be  a-goin'.  D'y'  know,  it's  a  funny  thing 
none  o'  this  talkin'  has  roused  any  of  your 
folks  and  that  the  police  ain't  here  to  take 
me  in?  Maybe  they're  on  the  way  now.  So 
long,  boy.  Glad  I  met  you  this  particular 
night." 

Somewhat  chilled,  even  though  wrapped 
in  his  blankets  during  this  long  conversa- 
tion, Hugh  cuddled  down  in  bed  with  a 
happy  feeling  that  soon  sent  the  warm  glow 
over  his  body  which  was  always  his  reward 
for  a  worthy  thought  or  deed. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Ward  astonished 
his  household  by  declaring  that  he  was  going 
to  withdraw  from  the  Consolidated  Invest- 
ment Company  that  day.  1  Fugh  's  f I'ightcncd 
look  caused  Mr.  Ward  to  smile  behind  his 
napkin. 

*'But  you'll  be  thei-e  this  morning,  wont 
you,  Mr.  Ward?"  he  asked  anxiously,  then 
turned  very  red. 


66  HUGH  MEREDITH 

"Yes,  I  shall  be  there  this  morning  and 
for  several  mornings  after.  It  will  take 
time  to  get  everything  straightened  out." 

"But  what  do  you  intend  to  do,  Mal- 
colm?" inquired  Mrs.  Ward,  as  anxiously 
as  Hugh,  but  with  a  different  motive. 

Seeing  the  look  of  deep  concern  in  her 
eyes,  Mr.  Ward  hastened  to  reassure  her. 
"It's  all  right,  Mildred.  I  have  had  a 
splendid  oifer  from  a  most  unexpected 
source,  which  I  have  been  considering  for 
weeks,  but  didn't  seem  to  have  any  good 
reason  for  making  a  change  until  now.  I 
have  decided  to  accept  it  today.  Will  tell 
you  all  about  it  this  evening.  I  haven't 
time  now,"  he  added,  consulting  his  watch 
and  hurrying  out.  Soon  they  heard  him 
drive  away,  and  at  least  two  of  his  house- 
hold were  very  much  interested  in  what  he 
would  do  that  day. 

That  evening,  at  dinner,  Mr.  Ward  told 
the  story  of  a  man  who  came  to  the  office 
and  insisted  upon  seeing  him,  personally, 
about  a  payment  due  on  his  property.  "He 
had  a  'hard  luck'  story,  like  all  the  rest, 
but,  whether  it  was  true  or  not,  I  couldn't 
see  him  lose  his  property  for  one  hundred 
dollars,   so   I   loaned  it  to  him  for  three 


ii 
ii 


HUGH  MEREDITH  67 

months.  He  makes  good  wages  and  was 
positive  he  would  have  the  money  in  that 
time.    I  took  a  chance." 

Why  Malcolm!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ward. 
I  never  knew  you  to  'talk  shop'  before. 
That  is  the  most  I  ever  heard  you  say  about 
any  business  transaction.  How  came  you 
to  speak  of  it?" 

Her  glance,  following  the  direction  of 
his,  fell  upon  Hugh's  beaming  face  and 
caught  the  almost  worshipful  look  in  his 
eyes.    "What  could  it  mean?" 

Mr.  Ward  was  speaking:  "I  always 
liked  to  experiment,  Mildred,"  he  said,  and, 
with  this  rather  ambiguous  statement,  she 
was  forced  to  be  content,  for  he  changed 
the  subject  by  telling  an  interesting  anec- 
dote, beginning:     "That  reminds  me — " 

On  Thanksgiving  Day  the  Wards  enter- 
tained. It  was  the  annual  reunion  and  din- 
ner for  all  the  relatives  who  were  able  to 
attend.  Thiuh  had  asked  permission  to  eat 
in  the  kitchen  and  to  remain  in  liis  (►\vn 
room,  so  cozy  with  its  windows  curtaiiu'd 
with  white  Swiss  and  its  small  gas  lieater. 
Mrs.   Ward  had   pi'oduced  two  sections  of 


68  HUGH  MEREDITH 

bookcases  and  had  added  some  books  to  his 
collection.  There  were  also  a  cushioned 
rocking  chair,  a  small  chiffonier,  a  small 
table  with  a  drawer  and  a  straight  chair, 
which  was  very  convenient  for  the  prepar- 
ation of  his  lessons. 

Occasionally  a  sound  of  the  merry-mak- 
ing reached  him.  He  heard  the  phonograph 
and  decided,  from  the  records  used,  that  the 
young  people  were  dancing.  He  retired 
about  10  o'clock  and  soon  fell  asleep.  Some 
time  later  he  heard  Emily  moving  about  the 
kitchen,  and,  'though  he  knew  it  was  late, 
supposed  she  was  clearing  away  the  effects 
of  the  feast  and  turned  over  to  sleep  again ; 
but  just  then  the  door-bell  tinkled  in  the 
kitchen  and  Emily  hurried  out.  A  few 
minutes  elapsed  and  she  returned  to  the 
kitchen  and  others  were  with  her.  He  rec- 
ognized Mrs.  Ward's  voice.  Then  he  heard 
a  man's  voice  giving  quick  directions  which 
he  could  not  understand ;  then  a  door  closed. 
Evidently  all  but  Emily  went  out.  She  con- 
tinued to  bustle  about  the  kitchen.  What 
could  it  mean?  He  listened  intently. 
Presently  Emily  came  out  into  the  laundry 
porch  for  something  and  Hugh  opened  a 
window  and  called  softly  to  her: 


HUGH  MEREDITH  69 

"Emily,  what's  the  matter T' 

"It's  Ralph,  honey.  He's  very  sick.  The 
doctor's  here  and  he  says  they  ain't  any 
hope." 

"Why,  what's  the  matter  with  Ralph, 
Emily?  He  was  well  enough  just  before 
dinner  when  he  was  in  my  room." 

"That's  jest  it.  Before  dinner  he  was 
all  right,  but  they  let  him  eat  too  much. 
He's  got  acute  indigestion,  that's  what. 
There,  I've  got  to  hurry." 

She  went  into  the  kitchen  and  Hugh 
sprang  out  of  bed  and  began  dressing  with 
all  possible  haste.  His  little  friend,  whom 
he  had  grown  to  love  as  a  brother,  was 
suifering  and  perhaps  dying  at  this  very 
minute.  While  he  dressed,  he  tried  to 
reason  it  out.  How  could  a  boy  as  strong 
and  healthy  as  Ralph  be  ill  if  perchance  he 
had  eaten  too  much  diinier?  Wl\at  strange 
destiny  hung  in  the  balance  with  a  measure 
of  food?  One  person  might  die  for  lack  of 
it  and  another  because  of  it. 

By  this  time  he  was  dressed,  without 
having  reached  a  solution  of  his  problem, 
and  groping  his  way  along  the  back  hall 
and  up  the  back  stairway.  The  door  of 
Ralph's    room    op<'ned,    as    he    reaeliefl    the 


70  HUGH  MEREDITH 

landing,  and,  in  the  light  from  the  room, 
he  saw  the  doctor  just  leaving.  Mr.  Ward 
stepped  out  into  the  hall  immediately  after- 
ward and  closed  the  door. 

''Well,  doctor?"  Mr.  Ward's  voice  be- 
trayed the  tension  he  was  under. 

The  doctor  placed  a  hand  on  his  shoulder 
as  he  said:  ''God  knows  I  wish  I  could 
hold  out  some  hope,  Malcolm.  I  say,  this 
is  tough." 

They  passed  into  the  front  hall  and 
closed  the  door.  Hugh  hastened  along  to 
the  door  of  Ralph's  room,  but  paused.  It 
was  shut.  Should  he  knock  or  just  walk  in  ? 
He  decided  on  the  latter  course. 

Mrs.  Ward,  with  shadowy  eyes,  looked 
up,  expecting  to  see  her  husband  and  learn 
the  final  verdict,  and  saw  Hugh  standing 
there  with  a  look  of  anxiety  on  his  young 
face  which  matched  her  own.  She  motioned 
him  to  enter  and  he  tip-toed  to  the  bedside 
where  Ralph  lay  in  a  comatose  state,  the 
result  of  a  hypodermic  injection,  which  the 
doctor  had  given  him,  upon  his  arrival. 
Now  and  then  he  writhed  in  pain,  of  which 
he  was,  apparently,  not  conscious.  Mr. 
Ward  came  back,  but  his  face  expressed  no 
hope.    The  doctor  had  returned  to  his  office 


HUGH  MEREDITH  71 

for  something  he  needed  in  the  case.  Mrs. 
Ward,  unable  to  control  her  emotion,  left 
the  room,  and  Mr.  Ward  sat  down  by  the 
bedside  and  buried  his  face  in  his  hands. 
Hugh  watched  him  intently,  trying  to  un- 
derstand his  grief,  the  possibility  of  his 
fears  being  realized  and  the  depth  of  his 
love  for  his  child;  not  that  he  actually 
analyzed  and  classified  these  emotions,  but, 
with  childish  intuition,  he  comprehended 
the  struggle  that  was  taking  place  in  his 
benefactor's  soul  and  an  intense  longing  to 
comfort  him  and  give  him  hope  moved  him 
to  turn,  with  his  usual  faith  and  trust,  to 
the  Invisible  Presence  in  sincere  though 
wordless  prayer. 

Stepping  softly,  he  moved  along  the 
bedside  and  knelt  beside  Mr.  Ward,  placing 
a  hand  on  his  knee.  Mr.  Ward  looked  up, 
and  there  was  a  look  of  tenderness  in  his 
eyes  as  he  put  his  arm  around  the  boy  and 
drew  him  close. 

*'It's  about  all  over,  Hugh,"  he  whis- 
pered brokenly. 

'*No,  Mr.  Ward,"  Hugh  replied.    "The 
Invisible  Presence  is  here.'' 
I  suppose  you  mean  God." 


((' 


72  HUGH  MEREDITH 

'*Well — yes.  Most  people  say  'God,'  but 
they  usually  tliink  about  God  as  being  a 
man,  like  a  father;  but  Mother  said  the 
Invisible  Presence  is  not  a  person  but  is 
everything  good,  like  life  and  health  and 
love.  Don't  you  believe  the  Invisible  Pres- 
ence can  give  life  and  health  to  Ralph  if 
we  can  give  him  love?" 

Hugh's  enthusiasm  and  faith  were  in- 
fectious. Mr.  Ward  felt  strangely  moved 
and  marveled  at  the  feeling  of  confidence 
and  hope  that  now  displaced  the  former 
hopeless,  helpless  one,  as  he  looked  into  the 
boy's  radiant  face  and  listened  to  his  simple 
declaration  of  faith. 

"And  Mother  said,"  the  boy  went  on, 
**that  if  two  people  asked  for  the  same 
thing,  and  believed  they  could  have  it,  they 
would  have  it.  Couldn't  you  and  I  ask  for 
Ralph  to  be  well  and  have  him  get  well  right 
away?" 

''I  believe  we  could,  son,"  Mr.  Ward 
replied. 

"Well  then,  let's  do  it  now." 

Hugh  dropped  his  head  on  the  crook  of 
his  arm,  resting  on  the  bed,  and  Mr.  Ward 
closed  his  eyes.  What  took  place  in  the 
souls  of  these  two  manifestations  of  Divine 


HUGH  MEREDITH  73 

Life  was  never  disclosed,  but  there  must 
have  been  a  triumph  of  faith  which  knows 
no  denial,  for,  after  a  time,  both,  with  one 
accord,  leaned  forward  to  look  into  the  face 
of  the  child  on  the  bed,  who  immediately 
opened  his  eyes  and  began  to  ask  questions 
in  his  usual  bovish  fashion:  ''Was  it  late? 
Had  he  slept  too  long?  What  were  they 
doing  there?    Was  it  time  for  breakfast?" 

He  sat  up  and  reached  out  to  put  an 
arm  around  the  neck  of  each  of  the  two 
w^atchers,  now  as  happy  as  they  had  been 
anxious  before. 

Mr.  Ward  gently  placed  him  back  in  his 
bed  and  said:  "No,  it's  not  time  to  get  up 
yet,  dear.  Just  go  to  sleep  again  and  we 
will  call  you  in  the  morning  in  time  for 
breakfast." 

"But  daddy,  what  are  you  and  Hugh 
doing  here  if  it's  night?" 

Mr.    Ward    looked    at    Hugh,    saw    the 
radiant  look  still  on  his  face  and  replied 
"We  just  tJiought  you  were  ill,  that's  all. 

"Oil,  but  I'm  not,  daddy.  1  feel  tine, 
and  I'm  not  a  bit  sleepy.    Can't  I  get  up?" 

Mr.  Ward  again  looked  at  Hugh  foi*  a 
suggestion,  and  Hugh  said:  "You  don't 
want  to  get  up  now,  Ralph.     It's  too  early. 


?? 


74  HUGH  MEREDITH 

You  just  stay  in  bed  and  I'll  tell  you  about 
the  frog  that  could  have  been  king  of  the 
pond  if  he  hadn't  gone  to  sleep." 

So  he  told  the  story  in  a  slow  and  monot- 
onous manner,  making  it  up  as  he  went 
along  and  using  the  word  "sleep"  as  often 
as  possible,  thus  unconsciously  using  the 
law  of  suggestion: 

''Once  there  was  a  kingdom  of  frogs  in 
a  pond  in  a  big,  big  field,  and  all  the  king 
and  his  family  had  to  do  was  to  sleep  and 
enjoy  themselves,  but  one  day  the  father 
frog  w^ent  to  sleep  and  never  woke  up  and 
so  the  frogs  in  the  kingdom  decided  to  make 
one  of  his  sons  king;  so  they  got  together 
and  chose  one  of  them,  but  when  they  went 
to  find  him  he  was  gone.  Now  it  happened 
that  he  was  the  sleepiest  one  in  the  family. 
He  loved  to  crawl  out  on  a  log  that  had 
fallen  into  one  end  of  the  pond  and  sleep, 
and  that's  where  he  was,  asleep,  on  the  day 
he  was  chosen  king  of  the  pond.  The  day 
was  nice  and  warm  and  the  bees  and  other 
insects  buzzing  around  him  made  him  so 
sleepy.  He  tried  to  listen  to  them  but  the 
more  he  listened  the  sleepier  he  got  and 
finally  went  to  sleep,  but  a  fly  landed  on  his 
head  and  tickled  him,  so  he  woke  up  and 


HUGH  MEREDITH  75 

snapped  at  it,  but  it  got  away  and  he  went 
to  sleep  again  because  he  was  so  sleepy,  and 
the  bees  a-buzzing  made  him  so  sleepy — " 

The  tale  ended  abruptly,  for  the  little 
boy's  regular  breathing  showed  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  little  frog's  preference  for 
sleep  to  being  king  of  the  frog  pond. 

Mr.  Ward  went  to  tell  the  good  news  to 
his  wife,  and  Hugh  crept  back  to  bed  to 
continue  his  interrupted  slumber. 

The  Christmas  season  was  approaching 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  were  planning 
their  Christmas  festivities.  There  was  to 
be  a  large  tree,  lighted  with  electric  candles 
and  strung  with  ropes  of  candy  beads,  pof) 
corn  and  tinsel.  New  decorations  were  to 
be  added  to  those  of  former  years  and  all 
small  presents  were  to  be  hung  on  the  tree 
in  the  old-fashioned  way. 

''Let's  make  it  a  real  Christmas  tree," 
Mrs.  Ward  said.  "This  has  been  a  won- 
derful year  for  our  family,  Malcolm.  There 
has  been  a  ^reat  chancre  in  it  since  last 
Christmas,  which  is  difficult  to  define.  I 
know  that  I  am  different,  and  T  can  see 
certain   changes   in   every   member  of  the 


76  HUGH  MEREDITH 

family.  Wliatever  the  cause,  there  is  reason 
for  joy  and  happiness  this  Christmas  and 
I  want  to  celebrate  it  as  never  before." 

*'A11  right,  Mildred,  it  shall  be  as  you 
wish,-'  replied  Mr.  Ward.  "You  spoke  of 
changes, — in  yourself  and  every  member  of 
tlie  family.  I  have  noticed  these  myself, 
and  this  seems  to  be  a  good  opportunity  to 
tell  you  about  the  change  I  see  in  you. 
Wliile  I  have  always  considered  you  lovely, 
and  about  as  near  perfect  as  mortals  can  be, 
you  ar»  actually  becoming  perfect.  I  mean 
that  while  you  were  always  willing  to  make 
amends,  you  were  pardonably  quick-tem- 
pered six  months  ago.  Now  you  seem  never 
"to  be  angry  or  even  annoyed,  though  I  have 
hatched  vou  meet  the  same  conditions  that 
would  formerly  have  tried  your  patience 
beyond  endurance,  and  have  marveled  at 
the  calm,  unruffled  manner  in  which  you 
met  these  situations." 

"That  is  a  very  kind  way  of  putting  it, 
Malcolm,  but  I  know  now  that  I  was  a 
'tragedy  queen,'  "  and  she  laughed  merrily. 

"A 'tragedy  queen, 'what  do  you  mean?" 

Then  Mrs.  Ward  told  him  the  story  of 
her  interview  with  Hugh,  concluding:  "and 
so  you  see  what  caused  me  to  change  and 


HUGH  MEREDITH  77 

to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  your  praise  to- 
night." 

''This  is  very  interesting,  Mildred,  but 
I  have  even  a  stranger  tale  to  relate.  When 
a  man  gives  up  a  profitable  business  just 
because  a  mere  child  condemns  it,  there  is 
either  something  wrong  with  the  business 
or  there  is  a  most  unusual  and  remarkable 
child  to  make  him  believe  there  is." 

Then  Mr.  Ward  told  his  wife  his  exper^ 
ience  on  Hallowe'en  night,  which  had  re- 
sulted in  a  most  favorable  change  in  his 
business  relations. 

Mrs.  Ward  was  amazed  when  she  heard 
the  reason  for  this  change.  ''You  surprise 
me  greatly,  Malcolm,"  she  said.  "I  have 
WTjndered  so  often  about  that  very  thing 
and  hoped  you  would  tell  me  some  day,  as 
you  have.  And  to  think  it  was  Hugh!  I 
know  now  why  you  told  about  the  man  vis- 
iting youi-  office  before  Hugh,  and  why  his 
face  lighted  up  so;  but,  that  you  could  lend 
money  to  a  man  who  had  come  to  rob  you 
is  moi-c  remarkable  still.  It  is  literally 
carrying  out  the  admonition  to  give  j^our 
cloak  also,  or  to  go  a  second  mile.  You  cer- 
tainly would  not  have  done  so  a  year  ago, 
befoi-e  Hugh  came.     Since  he  has  been  with 


78  HUGH  MEREDITH 

us,  think  of  the  changes  he  lias  made  in 
other  people's  lives.  There  was  that  man 
he  met  in  the  park  just  before  he  came  here. 
i  understand  he  is  doing  well.  Hugh  often 
visits  him  at  his  place  of  business  and  he 
says  he  is  making  money  and  his  wife  is 
well,  and  doesn't  object  to  the  restaurant 
business  now;  and  there  is  Janet  still 
working  for  him,  as  happy  as  can  be, 
doing  what  she  wanted  to  do,  whether 
it  be  good  for  her  or  not,  and  making 
more  money  than  we  could  have  paid  her 
for  her  services.  And  Helen  Marie  was 
saved  a  fall  and  possible  death  on  the  very 
day  he  came  here,  by  his  timely  action,  and 
now  fairly  idolizes  him,  as  anyone  can  see. 
Then  Ralph  was  saved  from  an  untimely 
death  by  the  boy's  knowledge  of  Truth  and 
his  ability  to  declare  it,  and  even  Emily  is 
more  docile  in  the  kitchen.  I  have  actually 
had  several  intimate  talks  with  her  and  was 
surprised  to  discover  that  she  has  a  quaint 
philosophy  of  her  own  that  she  is  trying  to 
live  by,  for  which  she  deserves  great  credit, 
of  course,  but  I  recognized  many  of  Hugh's 
sayings  in  her  statement  of  it.  Evidently 
he  supplied  the  words  she  needed  to  de- 
scribe 'that  something'  which  struggles  for 


HUGH  MEREDITH  79 

expression  iii  all  of  us.  Last  of  all  you  and 
I,  Malcolm,  have  been  guided  to  the  place 
of  understanding  by  this  boy's  timely  warn- 
ings. 

''That  is  a  long  list  of  achievements  for 
one  boy  in  six  months,  Mildred,  but  I  have 
still  another  to  add  to  the  list.  The  man  I 
just  told  you  about,  who  came  to  rob  me  on 
Hallowe'en  night  and  to  whom  I  loaned  a 
hundred  dollars  the  next  day,  came  into  my 
ofi&ce  today  and  paid  me  the  money  before 
it  was  due  and  insisted  upon  paying  the  full 
three  months'  interest.  Said  he  got  some 
money  he  never  expected  to  get — all  due  to 
the  Invisible  Presence.  Then  he  got  very 
red  and  talked  fast  to  cover  what  he  con- 
sidered a  blunder,  but  I  was  very  much 
gratified  to  hear  it,  as  it  was  proof  that  he 
was  following  the  boy's  advice  and  that  it 
was  actually  bringing  results." 

''Isn't  that  wonderful?"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Ward.  "I  don't  believe  there  ever  was  such 
a  boy.  Some  people  say  that  children 
haven't  much  influence  over  the  thought  of 
their  elders  because  they  are  not  yet  suffi- 
ciently developed  mentally  and  spiritually, 
but  this  particulai"  boy  not  only  has  in- 
fluence over  his  elders,   bv   reason   of  his 


80  HUGH  MEREDITH 

simple  and  practical  philosophy,  which  he 
is  able  to  apply  to  their  particular  difficul- 
ties, but  he  modestly  disclaims  any  credit 
for  himself,  giving  it  all  to  his  mother." 

''People  are  partly  right,  Mildred.  Most 
children  are  like  clear  pools  of  water,  in 
which  their  elders  may  see  themselves  re- 
flected, and,  if  the  image  be  distorted,  the 
reflection  is  the  same.  The  responsibility, 
therefore,  is  great.  Hugh's  mother  must 
have  realized  this  fact,  for  the  image  he 
reflects  is  almost  a  perfect  likeness  of  one 
who  has  studied  to  show  herself  approved, 
'a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed.' 
But  if  Hugh  receives  a  reflection,  he  also 
gives  one.  He  is  like  a  reflector  back  of  a 
searchlight,  sending  his  knowledge  of  Truth 
straight  into  the  lives  of  everyone  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact,  yet  without 
egotism  or  hope  of  reward.  I  wish  all  chil- 
dren could  discover  their  own  latent  power 
for  good  and  use  it  for  the  benefit  of  others. 
It  would  make  this  old  world  over  in  one 
generation." 

''That  is  a  strong  statement,  Malcolm, 
and  yet  I  believe  it  is  quite  possible  if — 
but  that  leads  into  a  deep  subject,  which  I 
do  not  care  to  discuss  tonight.    Just  now  I 


HUGH  MEREDITH  81 

am  interested  in  Christmas  and  want  to  ask 
what  you  had  planned  to  give  Hugh  for 
Christmas." 

"I  had  thought  of  getting  him  a  bicycle, 
Mildred,  because  I  wanted  to  get  Ralph  one, 
and  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  have  him 
ride  with  Ralph  to  protect  him.  What  are 
you  going  to  give  him,  Mildred?" 

''I  was  going  to  get  him  a  pair  of  ball- 
bearing roller  skates,  for  exactly  the  same 
reason;  but  Malcolm,  couldn't  we  do  some- 
thing for  the  boy  that  wouldn't  be  prompted 
by  a  selfish  motive?" 

Mr.  Ward  looked  into  her  eyes  intently, 
for  a  moment,  and,  unable  to  credit  what 
he  read  in  their  depths,  inquired:  "Mil- 
dred, you  don't  mean — ?" 

"Yes,  Malcolm,  why  not.  He  is  worthy 
of  anything  we  can  do  for  him." 

Then  followed  a  lengthy  discussion,  and 
a  pleasant  surprise  for  somebody  was  the 
result. 

On  Christmas  eve  the  tree  was  lighted, 
and  the  family,  iiicludinu:  ITugb,  Emily  and 
the  new  nurse,  Mrs.  Wood,  with  IFi'lcTi 
Marie  in  her  arms,  gathered  around  to  ad- 


82  HUGH  MEREDITH 

mire  its  splendor  and  enjoy  the  holiday 
spirit  which  its  presence  engendered. 

The  small  presents  were  placed  on  the 
tree,  to  be  found  and  opened  on  Christmas 
eve  to  carry  out  the  plan,  and  the  larger 
ones  would  appear  early  Christmas  morn- 
ing. 

There  were  exclamations  of  surprise 
and  pleasure  as  the  various  packages  were 
opened  and  displayed.  Hugh  helped  Ralph 
to  find  his  packages  and  assisted  him  in  un- 
tying them.  In  an  upper  branch  of  the 
tree  he  found  a  long  envelope,  which  he 
supposed  was  something  for  Ralph.  He 
carefully  untied  it ;  glanced  causally  at  the 
w^-iting  on  it  and  was  surprised  to  read  his 
own  name  in  Mr.  Ward's  bold  hand.  He 
looked  curiously  at  it.  Glancing  up,  he 
surprised  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  watch- 
ing him,  pleasant  anticipation  on  their 
faces.  What  could  it  be?  He  turned  it 
over.  It  was  sealed  with  wax.  He  broke 
the  seal  and  drew  out  a  legal  document.  Not 
until  he  had  read  half  of  it  did  he  begin  to 
comprehend  its  meaning,  then  tears  filled 
his  eyes  so  that  he  could  not  read.  He  went 
over  to  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  were 
standing  and  inquired  of  Mr.  Ward : 


HUGH  MEREDITH  83 

''What  does  it  mean,  sir?  Are  you  and 
Mrs.  Ward  really  going  to  adopt  me  as  your 
boy  so  that  I  can  really  belong  to  the  family 
always?" 

"That's  what  it  says,  son,"  replied  Mr. 
Ward,  and  Mrs.  Ward  nodded  in  the  affirm- 
ative, unable  to  speak  for  emotion,  while 
happy  tears  shone  in  her  eyes. 

Hugh  put  his  arms  around  Mrs.  Ward 
and  she  drew^  him  close  and  kissed  his  fore- 
head. 

"I  know  my  mother  is  glad  now^,  Mrs. 
Ward,"  he  said.  ''This  is  just  what  she 
planned  for  me,  and  I  believe  she  brought 
it  about." 

"It  is  quite  possible,  dear,"  replied  Mrs. 
Ward  softly. 

Ralph  soon  discovered  that  something 
unusual  had  taken  place  and  insisted  upon 
knowing  all  about  it,  and  Emily  also  lis- 
tened, evidently  much  pleased,  w'hile  Mr. 
Ward  explained  it  all  to  him. 

"And  is  he  my  brother  now?"  queried 
the  little  boy,  almost  beside  himself  with 
excitement,  jumping  up  and  down  and  in- 
dulging in  a  rough  and  tumble  game  of  his 
owii,  until  Mrs.  Ward  was  compelled  to  call 
for  quiet.     "I  know  you  are  happy,  little 


84  HUGH  MEREDITH 

boy,  to  have  Hugh  for  a  brother,  but  he  has 
been  that  and  more  all  the  months  he  has 
been  with  us  and  he  will  continue  to  be — 
just  himself." 

Wlien  the  others  had  moved  away,  Mrs. 
Ward  spoke  to  her  husband  of  the  manner 
of  Hugh's  acceptance  of  the  gift.  "He  has 
the  true  characteristics  of  a  gentleman — 
that  innate  refinement  which  may  be  the 
gift  of  a  long  line  of  well-bred  ancestors, 
and  poise,  which  is  the  result  of  knowing 
oneself,  which,  in  turn,  comes  from  spend- 
ing much  time  alone  in  thought.  I  truly 
wish  that  we  might  claim  natural  kinship, 
but  we  have  done  the  next  best  thing  and 
henceforth  he  will  be  Hugh  Meredith 
Ward." 

''Why  Mildred,  I  hadn't  thought  of  it 
before,  but  that  came  very  nearly  being  my 
name;  I  mean  Meredith  Ward.  Mother 
wanted  to  name  me  Meredith  after  her 
people,  who  were  so  very  proud  of  the  name, 
but  father  insisted  upon  naming  me  after 
himself,  because  there  has  been  a  Malcolm 
in  the  family  for  a  good  many  generations." 

''That's  so,  Malcolm.  Do  you  sup- 
pose—  ?" 


HUGH  MEREDITH  85 

Mr.  Ward  divined  her  meaning,  and, 
turning  to  Hugh,  asked:  ''Do  you  know 
anything  about  your  father's  family, 
Hugh?" 

''Not  much,  sir.  Mother  told  me  a  little 
just  before  she  went  away  and  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  my  grandfather  asking  him  to  help 
me,  but  after  what  she  had  told  me,  I  de- 
cided not  to  send  the  letter." 

"Do  vou  still  have  it?"  asked  Mrs. 
Ward. 

"Yes,  I  think  so." 

"Would  you  mind  letting  us  see  it, 
dear?" 

"Not  in  the  least,"  replied  Hugh,  hur- 
rying to  his  room  to  get  it. 

"Do  you  suppose  it  is  possible  that  he 
is  the  son  of  cousin  George,  Mildred  ?  You 
remember  Uncle  George  cut  him  off  because 
he  wouldn't  follow  the  program  laid  out  for 
him.  it  was  a  shame,  as  he  was  a  fine  fel- 
low, so  promising  and  the  only  heir  to  the 
name  of  McTcdith.  I'll  wager  Uncle  George 
has  regretted  that  all  his  life,  but  he  was  a 
hard,  miyielding  man  and,  so  far  as  I  know, 
never  forgave  him.  I  am  wondering  what 
he  will  do  with  all  his  money  when  his  time 
comes  to  liaiid  it  over  to  others?" 


86  HUGH  MEREDITH 

At  that  Hugh  returned  with  the  letter 
and  handed  it  to  Mr.  Ward.  The  name  on 
the  envelope  was  "George  P.  Meredith." 

Ralph  had  called  Hugh  back  to  the 
Christmas  tree  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward 
discussed  the  letter  in  low  tones. 

"It  is  the  most  remarkable  coincidence 
I  ever  heard  of,  Mildred,"  said  Mr.  Ward. 
There  is  one  thing  certain,  if  I  can  prove 
that  Hugh  is  old  George  P.  's  grandson,  that 
he  will  get  his  share  of  the  old  man's  estate 
when  he  'shuffles  oif  this  mortal  coil.'  The 
boy  is  a  credit  to  the  name  of  Meredith, 
too." 

"Yes,  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Ward,  "it  will 
be  your  duty  to  see  that  Hugh  inherits  his 
just  share  of  the  estate,  but,  in  the  mean- 
time, it  is  our  privilege  to  have  him  in  our 
home.  Did  you  hear  the  dear  child  giving 
his  mother  credit  for  everything?  I  re- 
member his  words:  'This  is  just  what  she 
planned  for  me,  and  I  believe  she  brought 
it  about. '  Do  you  know,  Malcolm,  I  believe 
that  is  quite  possible,  for,  if  the  soul  lives 
on,  possessed  of  such  a  love  as  Mrs.  Mere- 
dith had  for  her  boy,  it  could  not  help  striv- 
ing for  the  welfare  of  the  one  so  loved  in 
that  realm  of  the  soul." 


HUGH  MEREDITH  87 

''Ah,  Mildred,  I  do  not  follow  you,  with 
my  limited  understanding,  but  I  know  that 
there  is  something  in  every  individual  that 
lives,  has  alwavs  lived  and  can  never  die, 
and,  if  it  is  possible,  as  you  say,  to  keep  in 
touch  with  those  we  have  loved  and  who 
have  passed  on  to  another  life,  there  is  no 
death,  only  an  ever-changing  life." 

"You  have  such  beautiful  thoughts,  Mal- 
colm," said  Mrs.  Ward,  leaning  affection- 
ately on  his  shoulder. 

"Let  us  ask  the  boy's  opinion,"  sug- 
gested Mr.  Ward. 

Hugh  was  called  from  the  tree  again 
and  the  matter  explained  to  him.  "What 
is  your  idea  now  of  life  here  and  hereafter, 
son?"    Mr.  Ward  concluded. 

"It  is  like  an  adventure  to  me,  Mr. 
Ward,  or  like  going  on  a  hike.  Of  course 
we  can't  have  sunshine  every  day,  but  we 
are  sure  to  have  some  kind  of  weather.  The 
things  we  do  are  sometimes  affected  by  the 
wcatlicr,  but,  if  it  i-aiiis  and  we  can't  do  the 
things  we  planned,  there's  always  some- 
thing else  we  can  do  that  will  be  interesting, 
and  the  rainy  days  make  us  appreciate  the 
sunny  days  that  much  more.  That  is  like 
life,  I  think.     If  things  seem  to  go  wrong 


88  HUGH  MEREDITH 

a  while,  pretty  soon  something  nice  comes 
along  and  we  appreciate  it  much  more  than 
if  we  had  it  all  the  time." 

"That  is  logical,  my  boy,"  said  Mr. 
Ward,  "and  accounts  for  here  and  now. 
How  about  the  end  of  this  hike  and  there- 
after?" 

"Well,  sir,  the  end  of  the  hike  is  the 
biggest  adventure  of  all  to  me.  Besides 
being  in  an  entirely  different  place,  I  shall 
see  mother  again  and  perhaps  we  shall  talk 
about  this  Christmas  and  the  big  surprise 
in  this  envelope,"  he  replied,  holding  it  at 
arm's  length  and  regarding  it  with  an  ex- 
pression of  mingled  gratitude  and  pride. 

At  that  someone  stepped  up  on  the 
veranda  and  rang  the  bell.  Emily  hurried 
out  to  answer  it.  No  one  was  in  sight,  and, 
as  Emily  peered  into  the  darkness  so  long, 
trying  to  discover  who  had  pushed  the  bell, 
the  family  came  to  the  door  also,  and  Ralph 
soon  discovered  the  cause. 

"Oh  look  at  the  packages!"  he  shouted. 

Just  beside  the  door  w^ere  several  bulky 
packages,  which  Mr.  Ward  carried  inside. 
When  brought  to  the  light,  the  various  tags 
read:  "From  your  friend  of  the  park 
bench."      "From     your    friend,     Janet." 


HUGH  MEREDITH  89 

'' Wishing  you  a  merry  Christmas,  A 
Friend."  Although  Hugh's  name  did  not 
appear  on  any  of  them,  it  was  obvious  for 
whom  they  were  intended. 

As  Hugh  made  no  move  to  open  them, 
Mr.  Ward  inquired:  ''Aren't  you  going  to 
open  your  presents,  Hugh?" 

''I  had  rather  not,  sir,"  Hugh  replied. 
' 'Somehow  I  don't  want  to  see  anything 
more  tonight.  I  just  want  to  think  about 
what  I  have  received,  and  about  something 
mother  said  that  I  do  not  understand." 

"What  was  that,  dear?"  Mrs.  Ward 
inquired. 

"Mother  said,"  replied  Hugh,  "that  if 
I  practiced  the  precepts  she  had  taught  me 
that  I  would  make  every  life  with  which  I 
came  in  contact  richer  and  happier  for  hav- 
ing known  me.  I  have  tried  to  do  so,  but 
it  seems  to  work  backwards.  Everybody  is 
trying  to  make  me  richer  and  happier,  so 
I'm  afraid  I  don't  understand." 

"Indeed  you  do,"  said  Mrs.  Ward. 
"You  have  made  every  life  witli  which  you 
have  come  in  contact  richer  and  happier  for 
having  known  you,  and  this  is  proved  by 
anothci'  bit  of  your  own  philosophy,  for  I 
have  heai'd  you  say  that  'whatever  we  send 


90  HUGH  MEREDITH 

out  comes  back  to  us.'  If  that  is  true,  then 
you  must  have  sent  out  blessings  into  many 
other  lives  which  are  now  coming  back  to 
bless  yours ;  which  reminds  me  of  the  quota- 
tion: 'Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters:  for 
thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days!" 

"That's  in  the  Bible,  isn't  it?  I  just 
read  a  verse  yesterday  in  Mother's  Bible 
that  she  had  marked,  which  made  me  think 
of  vou  and  Mr.  Ward. ' ' 

^'^Wliat  was  that,  Hugh?" 

*'It  said:  'Inasmuch  as  you  have  done 
it  unto  the  least  of  these  .  .  .  you  have 
done  it  unto  Me,'  and  tonight  I  thought 
how  much  God  must  love  you  and  Mr.  Ward 
for  doing  so  much  for  Him." 

Mrs.  Ward  held  out  her  arms  in  one  of 
her  beautiful  gestures  and  enfolded  him  in 
a  loving  embrace,  whispering  softly:  ''My 
bov." 


.  iKMM  n::  r  Al  IF  Li»^Y.  lOS  ANU^=i^ 


^,M«^N%r*-jRv:     .'. 


ti^  ■  ?.; 


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